Caring for cho
by adstyle17
Summary: Hermione has a crush on the most unexpected person. Not only is that person a girl, her best friend is her love rival. But Hermione sees something even Harry can't see. Something this person hasn't received and something Hermione possesses. The ability to truly care.Femslash
1. Chapter 1

AN; Hey to all my readers so I have decided to create another story alongside converting the bookworm. As you can tell this is called Caring for Cho and this is a chomione fanfic. I know I said in my other story that I would like to see a Fanfic that goes completely by canon but with the pairing of Harry/Cho and I still do. But I write femslash. And there are some scenes in OotP where Hermione is helping Harry get the girl but wouldn't it be interesting if Hermione liked Cho too. Not a big pairing I know so this might not be as popular as the more common pairing of Luna/Hermione but i personally have written down already everything I want to do in every chapter of this story and all I have to do is expand and detail it so updating should be quicker, I make no mistakes and this way I can't get Writer's Block. This story DOES follow canon. This story is third person so no slip ups. 20 chapters exactly.

Summary-Hermione has a crush on the most unexpected person. Not only is that person a girl, her best friend is her love rival. But Hermione sees something even Harry can't see. Something this person hasn't received and something Hermione possesses. The ability to truly care.

Disclaimer: Obviously the Harry Potter universe and all the characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

Lonely is Cho

"Today we acknowledge a really terrible loss. Cedric Diggory was, as you all know, exceptionally hard working, infinitely fair-minded, and most importantly, a fierce, fierce friend…" Dumbledore spoke glumly from his chair as all three wizarding schools sat silent and still listening to the Hogwarts headmaster whilst they grieved their lost. Hermione was swallowing trying to make that lump in her throat disappear but all it did was lodge itself even more. Sniffles and quiet sobs were only slightly detected throughout the Great Hall, almost as if people were scared to cry. 'There is no shame in crying' Hermione thought but she herself stayed quiet.

Hermione looked across the hall at a face that should be more affected by Cedric's death than anyone here. Cho had her head hung low, so low you couldn't tell she was crying. There wasn't even any movement to indicate she was. But Hermione knew she was devastated.

"Therefore, I feel you have the right to know exactly how he died. You see, Cedric Diggory was murdered, by Lord Voldemort. The Ministry of Magic does not wish me to tell you this. But not to do so I feel would be an insult to his memory…" The headmaster continued more passionately. Harry was probably the only person in this hall that felt anything but sadness.

Harry's eyes were raging. He was staring into space, probably not even acknowledging what was being said. Of course he was upset of the loss of Cedric. He watched the boy die, he saw the light leave his eyes, he saw the way the unforgiving green light completely took the boy of his feet and dumped him unceremoniously on the deck. He saw the way his eyes stared sightlessly onwards, never to blink or move again. He saw it all, and it made him furious.

"Now the pain we all feel at this dreadful loss reminds me, and, reminds us, that though we may come from different countries and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one. In light of the recent events, the bonds of friendship made this year will be more important than ever."

At this Hermione looked at Krum who had his hat held tightly against his chest as he listened, just like every other Durmstrang student. Fleur Delacour too was playing with her fingernails as she listened, her thrall dormant completely as now is definitely not the time to be distracting hopeless love-struck boys. The respect Hermione saw that the two schools gave was heart-warming; especially as right at the start of this whole nightmarish tournament they were pretty angry that Hogwarts had two champions instead of one.

"Remember that, and Cedric Diggory will not have died in vain. You remember that, and we'll celebrate a boy who was kind, and honest, and brave, and true. Right to the very end." Dumbledore finished his speech and the whole hall, led by his fellow Hufflepuffs, rose in their seats and gave one mighty standing ovation. All except one heart-broken Ravenclaw girl, Hermione noticed, who never even flinched at the noises around her.

The final feast before all the schools left the following day ended and the first person out of that hall was Cho. Her head was still down low and she spoke and looked at no one as she vacated. Hermione watched her go.

That night in the Gryffindor tower was probably the most sombre experience the whole house had had for an incredibly long time. Laughs and smiles were rare if real. Wizard's chess was being played half-heartedly. Weasley products were nowhere to be seen and the room had very little conversation.

The far right corner near the window was where you could find the Golden Trio and Ginny all staring into space thinking. Ron finally disturbed the silence by saying,

"I wonder how the Hufflepuffs are taking this. Probably, worse than us huh?"

Hermione glared at him as if she seriously couldn't believe how obvious that answer was. "Yeah. Probably." She rolled her eyes at the red-head.

"It's Cho I feel sorry for. She looked distraught." Ginny empathised.

"Obviously not enough. She didn't even stand up and clap like the rest of us did" Ron answered.

"Oh Ron shut up. You really do not understand how girls feel do you." Hermione chided him.

"It's a show of respect." He argued.

"Well, she more than respected Cedric, Ron. You cannot possibly start judging how a girl should feel when she is in love without actually ever being in love yourself." Ginny told him.

"And even if you're not in love, when someone dies who was close to you it will affect you deeply wherever you're a girl or boy. You would do the same thing Ron if someone like Ginny or me died. Just because you don't even know them doesn't mean that you can judge someone like that." Hermione continued.

Feeling like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Ron went bright red and got smaller in his chair.

"Ok, I was out of line." Ron admitted sheepishly.

A silence had overcome the quartet once again before Harry spoke.

"I'm going to bed. See you guys in the morning." Harry said tiredly.

"Are you sure mate" Ron asked.

"Yeah. It's been a rough day. Night"

After the rest of the group had wished him a good night's sleep Harry disappeared up the stairs and the silence continued briefly before Hermione had had enough.

"Seriously, if no one is going to say anything or do something I might as well join him." She said and instantly she had left her seat at the window and followed behind him. She was about to pass the boys dormitory stairwell to get to the girl's when she saw Harry not climbing the stairs. Instead he was seated three steps up thinking profusely.

"Harry, I thought you were going to bed. Are you okay?"

He didn't respond.

Hermione sighed and sat herself down beside him on the step. "If you're blaming yourself again you better stop right now."

"Who else is there to blame other than me Hermione?" Harry answered her.

"Erm, how about Lord Voldemort, or Barty Crouch Jr or any of those Death Eaters who were with you both in the graveyard. They might be more than worthy candidates, Harry".

"I should have been quicker. I should have made sure Cedric got back to the cup." Harry blasted himself.

"Oh yeah and left with the only piece of magical transportation you had. It wouldn't be Cedric we would be mourning if that had happened and our whole lives may have been completely doomed if you had died instead." Hermione said before laying her hand over his clenched fist. "Instead of blaming yourself maybe you should stop to think about what your top priorities are. And if you don't know them I will tell you. They are: Be a beacon for the entire wizarding world to admire, stabilize your life again and enjoy the time spent with the people around you. Will you do that Harry?"

Harry sighed heavily and for the first time in days, smiled "Of course I will".

"Good. So don't let me catch you loathing yourself again or I might knock some sense into that thick head of yours, Voldemort be damned" Hermione told him good-naturedly.

"Ok. Thanks Hermione, you're my besty you know that?"

"Yeah and you're my besty too".

The remaining days of term had dragged excruciatingly but the day was finally here that the school body went home for the summer. After watching the Beauxbaton carriage fly away and the Durmstrang ship sail away and disappear beneath the waters of the Black Lake. The Hogwarts students made their way down to Hogsmeade for the train home.

The Golden Trio plus Ginny, Fred and George found a compartment and before they knew it were laughing and joking all the way back to Kings Cross.

Soon it was time to depart and the Gryffindor's piled out the door and straight into the oncoming arms of Molly Weasley.

"OHHH YOU'RE ALL BACK AND WELL. It's so good to see you all."

"Ge'rof mum. Let me breathe" moaned Ron looking mightily uncomfortable at being mothered.

Molly released her grip and turned to Harry giving him similar treatment. "Hello again Harry. I hope you have a good summer, it's about time you had some good luck."

"Nice to see you Miss Weasley. Thank you." He said warmly.

"You're welcome dear."

Molly released him and was about to envelope Hermione in a hug before she stopped herself and instead just smiled and said "Hermione nice to see you dear." Clearly, she had still got some bad blood with Hermione concerning a story put in the Daily Prophet about her which resulted in Hermione receiving a very small Easter egg whilst the others got big ones.

Hermione just forced a smile and replied "Thank you Miss Weasley".

"We'd better be off dear." Said her husband beside her.

"OH yes. Well, have a nice holiday you two." Molly said to Hermione and Harry.

After all the Weasleys were gone Harry and Hermione said their goodbyes.

"Well, have a nice summer Hermione and I'll write to you." Harry told her whilst they hugged goodbye."

"Ok and you know you can talk to me about anything right. Anything at all."

"I know"

Then they both started heading for the wall until Hermione stopped dead. "Hermione what is it?"

"Harry, look" Hermione said nodding her head in the direction she was looking at. Harry followed her direction and they both saw a crest-fallen Cho collecting her stuff and walking of miserably.

"Why is she on her own? Why aren't her parents or whoever come to collect her?" Hermione asked concerned.

"They are probably meeting up somewhere. Don't worry about it, she'll be ok." Harry assured her.

Hermione continued to look at her as she walked away and thought 'I'm not so sure about that'.

An; first chapter of this story done. Hope you like it. Reviews would be nice.

Tbc…The Mystery That Is Cho.


	2. Chapter 2

Summary-Hermione has a crush on the most unexpected person. Not only is that person a girl, her best friend is her love rival. But Hermione sees something even Harry can't see. Something this person hasn't received and something Hermione possesses. The ability to truly care.

Disclaimer: Obviously the Harry Potter universe and all the characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

The Mystery That Is Cho

It was a pretty good summer for Hermione and Ron at least. The same could not be said by The-Boy-Who-Lived. His summer went from bad to worse.

He left Hogwarts still down-heartened and bitter about the graveyard, the Tri-wizard Tournament and the death of Cedric Diggory and this continued into the holidays. And just like every year since his Hogwarts letter arrived, he had to return to the Dursleys; not the best type of people to return home to if you can call it a home instead of a prison. Harry tried to get a breath of fresh air and escape the Dursleys just once but even that was too much to ask for. Whilst minding his own business in the local park, Dudley Dursley decided to show up with his gang. Harry had tried to wind up the guy in hopes that he would humiliate him in front of his gang (it was the least Harry could do over a fourteen year torment) but Dudley was soon retaliating and went for the low blow. After mocking Harry about his dead mother, Harry had had enough. Whilst his gang members laughed and cackled at the supposed stick in Harry's hands, Dudley and Harry were having a stare down.

That was where everything went south. The wind picked up, the skies darkened and the temperature dropped several degrees in the space of a few seconds. His confused assurances that he was not to blame for the sudden change in climate suddenly sprang the two boys into action. The rest of Dudley's gang were long gone. Harry and Dudley started to run; it wasn't until they reached the underpass that they were halted by two Dementors. They started to feast on the boys precious memories like drinking juice out of a carton with a straw. Harry was able to fight his Dementor long enough for him to draw his wand. One Patronus charm later and the Dementor had gone. Soon after Harry also dispatched the second Dementor.

Couldn't even step out his front door for two minutes without some sort of magical person or being after him. And it got worse when he received a letter from the Ministry expelling him from Hogwarts for underage magic and performing magic in the presence of a Muggle. Harry would later find out that he would actually be given a fair trial to decide his fate.

Beside that there was the Ministry and the Daily Prophet on a mission to take apart Harry and Dumbledore's proclamation that Voldemort was back, Calling Harry a liar and Dumbledore a fool.

And there was the issue of Harry's sudden spurts of anger and frustration. He often snapped at Hermione and Ron and he didn't even know why. So overall, his summer wasn't the best.

Hermione had spent a lot of the summer spending time with her aunt and cousins. They went for shopping sprees for clothes, shoes and Hermione's choice, books. Then she would settle down in her closest cousin's room, Chantelle, and would waste away the nights talking. She would talk about her boarding school (of course her cousins and aunts were unaware that she was a witch) and her best friends Ron and Harry. Chantelle would talk about boys and girl banter. Hermione wasn't really a fan of that stuff and Chantelle knew that so she often made sure that she wasn't too enthusiastic about the subject, this Hermione was thankful for because at least Chantelle was considerate enough to actually make sure that Hermione felt comfortable.

Hermione spent the remainder of the time up until everyone arrived at Grimmauld Place; the home to the Order of the Phoenix and Sirius' house, at the Weasleys. Every night Ginny and Hermione sat talking similarly to how Hermione and Chantelle sat talking except a little less talk about boys and a lot of laughs. Ron and Ginny played Quidditch mostly during the daytimes whilst Hermione sat reading books. Of course Hermione had finished all homework and so instead sat reading romance novels (only once the other two were in the air, they would only tease her). Hermione mostly read about heterosexual romances but occasionally some homosexual novels. Hermione often wondered about the difference between being in love with a girl and being in love with a boy. Obviously the homosexual relationship is frowned upon more than the heterosexual one and is not technically natural in terms of breeding. However, Hermione often noticed that girls understand girls better than guys and those girls know what other girls like. She saw nothing wrong with homosexual relationships. The magical world seems more embracing anyway over the non-magical. In some parts of the Non-magical world homosexuals are the equivalent of a pure-blood dating a muggle-born. Hermione was glad that homosexuality wasn't an issue here, obviously because she had nothing against them, yes that was all, right?

But the days were rough after Harry arrived at Grimmauld Place. Harry was like a bomb waiting for the detonator; a detonator in the form of a variety of words that people spoke to him. At first Hermione and Ron thought he was just angry over the trial and the Ministry but soon re-evaluated that when a week after he arrived he was still biting and snapping at people. Hermione and Ron were starting to get concerned.

Finally the day they could all go back to Hogwarts came and Harry was the happiest he had been all summer. But the others knew that wasn't saying much and it was only a matter of time before that changed again.

* * *

"You guys find a seat. Me and Ron need to check that everyone has got on board." Hermione told the others.

"Oh right you're prefects now. That's gonna take some getting used to." Ginny replied.

"Hey it's Hermione. Is it really all that surprising she was chosen?" Ron said looking at Hermione good-naturedly.

"Ha ha. Hilarious Ron. What is even funnier is that you got chosen, that is surprising." Hermione retaliated.

"Hey, I never asked to be a prefect. I obviously was chosen because they thought I would do a good job. They must have seen potential in me." Ron assured them both.

"They might have seen something but it ain't potential. Now don't you both need to be somewhere?" Ginny asked rhetorically.

"Come on Ron." Hermione said tugging Ron along whilst giving a small wave goodbye to Ginny.

Hermione and Ron soon decided that they should help search the two ends of the train and meet back in the middle again when they had finished. According to the letter we both received during the summer we were to make sure that first years were settled and that everybody was on the train before the train departed.

Hermione was checking the last of the compartments when something brushed past her left arm. Hermione spun and her eyes landed on a sheepish Cho Chang who apologized shyly and continued walking onwards until she slipped into an empty compartment. Hermione was still staring at the door for a few seconds before she recovered and went to walk away. But she never managed two steps before she stopped again, thinking hard.

'Cho returns home for the holidays only for no one to meet her and now she is isolating herself from her housemates or is being ignored by them.' Hermione thought. She was concerned solely because she always thought Cho liked company and had a lot of people looking out for her. If she was being ignored, then why? Cho was a nice girl who always studies and could almost compare to Hermione. Hermione generally thought that Cho certainly wasn't being ignored; it was more to do with her isolating herself. But at the same time shouldn't her housemates know this. If it were Hermione who was upset she knew Harry or Ginny would comfort regardless of whether I told them to or not. Why couldn't they take the initiative? Well, if they weren't going to do it than Hermione would.

And with that Hermione confidently reached for the compartment door and stepped inside.

When she finally acknowledged Cho, who was slightly surprised at Hermione but soon recovered and kept her head down. "What is it you want… Hermione isn't it?"

Hermione's throat was dry and she had to gulp. Finally she resorted to a nod.

"What is it you want, Hermione?" Cho said still looking at her shoes.

"I…erm…I…wan…I…er…" Hermione spluttered. 'Gosh why am I this nervous? Where has my Gryffindor spirit gone?'

Cho sensed my ramblings and smiled "I'm not that scary am I. Come on, what was it you wanted?"

Hermione finally found her voice but it was a note too high. "I wanted to check on you." 'Oh my god, why am I acting like this'

Cho raised an eyebrow and Hermione tried to explain what she meant. "No, I mean I wanted to check you were ok. I'm not snooping honest I just wanted to see if you were ok. You know after everything."

Cho's gaze returned to her shoes. "I'm coping, just".

Hermione just stood there and fidgeted 'what am I doing, I never fidget'.

"Is there something else?" Cho asked quietly.

"I…erm noticed you aren't with anyone. Not that it's my business but why is that. Don't answer that if you don't want to, I was just curious".

"I just prefer to be alone at the moment. I'm sorry but I don't to talk about…what happened, or anything for that matter. I'm sorry but can you kindly leave?" Cho insisted softly.

Hermione laughed nervously "Of course, take no notice of me. I'll just go"

"Wait." Exclaimed Cho.

Hermione froze with her hand on the door handle.

"Thank you. For making sure I was ok. It was nice to meet you Hermione"

Hermione nodded and said "You're welcome. It was nice to meet you too"

* * *

"Ron. All you think about is food. Just stop complaining about your bloody duties." Hermione scorned the red-head. They had finished making sure the students had successfully managed to get off the train with no problems. They were now on their way to the carriages to be escorted to the castle.

"My, what is up with you? Ever since you've returned from your bloody duties you've been snapping at me. It's bad enough with Harry, now you're in on it too" Ron huffed.

Hermione sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried."

"What about? Not Harry. He might not have been his usual self but at least he wasn't snapping at us. Maybe he has gotten over everything that happened last year. Maybe he was just depressed. There is no need to worry."

"I'm not worried about Harry. At least, not just Harry."

"Who then?" Ron asked baffled.

"Cho Chang of course."

"Why are you worried about her? You don't even know her.

"Maybe I want to change that." She would have continued but at that time a group of third-year Hufflepuffs came barging past, almost knocking Hermione to the ground. Ron Glowered at them but Hermione barely acknowledged them; she just clutched her book closer to her chest, thinking deeply.

"So what's worrying you, about Cho?" Ron asked after he had turned back to face her.

"She looks so lonely. She is avoiding her friends. She says it's because she doesn't want to talk to anyone right now. Don't tell me how I know this but I think something is troubling Cho and it's not just about Cedric."

"Go on." Ron urged her.

"On the platform, when we came home, Harry and I saw Cho step off the train and leave the platform alone. No one came to meet her or welcome her home. And earlier when I talked to her she was trying to subtly keep her arm from my view."

"How do you mean?"

"For example, she was constantly adjusting her sleeve. She was trying to hide something. She was completely alone in that carriage and she preferred to keep it that way. There is something more personal going on…" they had reached the carriages now and they noticed Harry staring longingly at the previous carriage. On that carriage was a certain Ravenclaw who was ignoring every attempt her friends had to include her in their conversation. She looked up and her eyes met Hermione's. She smiled then looked down again. "…and I'm determined to find out what that is." Ron just nodded and they proceeded to get in the next carriage with Harry, Neville and a blonde Ravenclaw they later learnt was named Luna Lovegood.

'Cho. How can a girl so mysterious capture my attention so much?' Hermione thought with a smile she never knew was on her face.

An; thanks again readers. No reviews but that is to be expected, this is a niche pairing. But still reviews would be nice.

A mistake that would most likely be in here is concerning the P.O.V. This story is third person but my other story is first person. As I am changing between the two stories I might get my P.O.V's wrong so ignore them.

I'm not quite sure what Hermione and Ron did that summer. If it was mentioned in the film and I have forgotten it please remind me.

First signs of Hermione's crush this chapter but what is up with Cho? You'll have to wait.

Tbc…Dreaming of Cho.


	3. Chapter 3

Dreaming of Cho

The meadow went on for acres. Every strand of grass reached her fingers that hung at the sides; she let her palms brush the tips of the blades and watch the wind whistle through the long grass. Her hands lay upon a Hydrangea flower; it's turquoise richness releasing a luscious and potent aroma. Her eyes cannot fight the urge to close in satisfaction as the smell permeates through her nostrils. The sun beams down on her; the temperature not too hot. She soon found herself giggling and skipping around in the greenery; any logical explanation to this unknown as she twirls repeatedly.

She doesn't care that her uniform will get creased. She doesn't care that her hair will get windswept. She doesn't care that she is in the middle of a meadow and doesn't even know why she is there or how she got there. She is just carefree of everything and is just enjoying every second of this paradise.

She then notices an oak tree she never saw earlier and immediately feels curious. She headed in its direction still skipping. The closer she got to the swing the more she had the urge to just sit down and watch the wildlife amongst this alluring landscape. As she nears the tree she saw a swing hanging by a huge branch on the other side of it. It was swinging. She could tell by the way the swing was moving that the cause of the movement was not the wind that still blew. It was swinging with signs of someone who had vacated the seat a few moments ago. She looked drastically around for that someone but all she saw was the never-ending meadow.

She then proceeded to take the place of said person in that seat and swing it nonchalantly.

She was baffled to where he or she had gone to. Clearly, someone had been sitting here before I arrived. Maybe this person was shy and scarpered at the sight of someone else in her space. Maybe it was poltergeist activity. It being the magical world anything was possible really.

Soon though she forgot about this mystery person and was soon swinging happily in the swing, each time attempting to get higher than the previous swing. After five minutes of this a giggle escaped her lips…or that is what she thought. She was wrong because as soon as she recognised the noise she realised it was not coming from her mouth. She turned in the direction of the noise and found something that caused her to slip of the swing.

Just like a mirage, a pond was starting to fade into view. The more she looked at it the more it turned opaque and she could now see a waterfall showering the pond beneath it with gallons upon gallons of water. The rocks were whitish grey with a contrasting light green splattering over them. It made the whole scene even more tranquil.

In her shock she was oblivious to everything else than the sight before her. This was proven as she jumped back in surprise when the water was disturbed and the head and shoulders of a girl appeared bobbing along the surface. "Well, fancy seeing you here beautiful" the girl said swishing her wet hair around as eye contact was made.

It was here where she recognised the face in the pond and breathed out "Cho."

"Hallo, Hermione. It's nice of you to drop by." Cho replied.

Then Cho rose up even further out of the confines of the water and Hermione had free eye access to her upper abdomen. Hermione tried with all her might to look away instead of just blushing and staring but her eyes were glued.

"What's wrong beautiful. Do I have something you like?" Cho teased.

Hermione's went as wide as saucers but she was even more shocked when she realised she was slowly advancing on the beautiful, smirking girl floating in the water like a mermaid. Soon, despite her horror, she was at the bank.

"Well. Are you gonna join me?" Cho continued who was waiting enticingly and sensually for the brunette. Hermione felt herself nod despite her hard efforts not to. She slowly slipped her feet out of her shoes and proceeded to remove her long white socks, rolling them down her shins.

"Come on. I'm waiting" Cho chuckled mock impatiently.

Soon Hermione's shirt was unbuttoned and pulled open leaving her with the top half of her underwear. Then her skirt followed, revealing her bottom half. She reframed from going full nude and even in her turned on state, Hermione held her modesty. Her right arm was covering her chest, rubbing her shoulders nervously, whilst her left was blocking off Cho's view to her groin. All the way through this Hermione was fidgeting and shifting her weight constantly on each foot.

"Now don't be shy my sweet. Here sit yourself down here beside me." Cho said invitingly as she pulled herself up and sat on the bank.

There was a reason why Cho seemed to be resembling a mermaid in the water. It's because she was a mermaid. Her tail was five foot long; half a metre thick at its widest point and a combination of sapphire, emerald and citrine scales an inch wide. The webbing on the tip of her tail was a paleish blue and stretched like chewing gum between all five tail points.

The sight you would think would lose some attraction did quite the opposite to Hermione. Hermione back-pedalled so much she lowered her limbs away from her body which provoked Cho's next response.

"Now that is a gorgeous body. Come on sit beside me."

Hermione, nervously once more, bent down and sat closely but not too close to Cho, with her legs tucked underneath her. At Cho's nod of encouragement Hermione then shifted so she wasn't sitting on her legs then placed them and her feet in the cool water below.

"Now that's better isn't it? Don't you find this place just beautiful?" Cho asked.

Hermione hadn't spoken for a while and during this time her throat had dried up so her voice came out scratchy. "Ye-es lovee-ly".

Cho then turned away and she suddenly turned serious. "You know, it's good you showed up because there is something I want to tell you."

Anxious to hear what the girl had to say Hermione searched for Cho's eyes and her heart skipped a beat when she met them.

"I've been thinking about you a lot recently." Cho continued. "And I feel it's about time I tell you my feelings towards you."

Hermione's heart was beating like a jackhammer and she daren't breathe until the girl had told her exactly what it was she had to tell her; she could tell which direction this conversation could take.

"I like you and I think I want to kiss you." Cho finished and immediately leant closer to Hermione. Hermione closed her eyes and just waited for the feeling of succulent and soft lips on her own…

"Wake up Hermione! Lessons start in ten minutes!" Lavender yelled whilst roughly shaking the brunette awake.

Hermione shot up in her bed and knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. Lavender had removed her arms from the brunette and folded her arms in amusement. "Having nice dreams, were we?"

After remembering the recent events of her dream and her later than usual rising from her bed, Hermione blushed in embarrassment. "Of course not just overslept that's all" Hermione denied.

"Oh of course. Do you usually pucker your lips in your sleep?" Lavender inquired knowingly.

"No"

"Well then it doesn't take a genius to know what you were dreaming about does it. Come on then, who was it you were kissing in your sleep?" Lavender asked.

"No one. Now can I have some privacy?" Hermione huffed in reply.

It was bad enough getting caught dreaming something like that let alone being caught by the schools top gossip guru. Hermione was embarrassed and confused as it is and the last person she would want to find out is Lavender Brown. What made it worse was the fact it wasn't even a boy. If Hermione could give a hundred guesses to Lavender to see if she could guess who she dreamt of she still would be none the wiser. If Lavender heard she had a very alluring dream about a certain Ravenclaw that even Hermione herself didn't think she was attracted to, with the added bonus of that Ravenclaw being a girl, Hermione would never live it down.

"Whatever." Lavender snickered as she turned around and left the dormitory. As the door swung shut, Hermione immediately jumped up from the bed and ran into the bathroom. After rinsing her face in cold water and catching her breath and her bearings, Hermione looked at herself in the mirror.

'What in all that's sane was that about?' she ridiculed herself.

That dream felt so vivid. So real. Where did it come from? For what reason could a dream like that pop into my head? Yes, I might've been concerned for the girl but never did I think I could ever be attracted to her. This was all so sudden. So confusing. Did I really feel the feelings I felt in the dream or was that typical dream nonsense?

I leant back on the sink running my fingers through my hair. The more I tried to deny the feelings I had in the dream the more I was convinced they were real. But this couldn't be possible? Does this mean I'm gay? Is this a simple crush or is it love? What about Harry and his attraction to her? Do I have to compete with him, my best friend? Would I be able to?

The more I thought about it the more questions popped up and the more panicked I got. Finally, I drew breath. My breathing slowly steadied and I had calmed down my blood pressure to a more tolerable rate. I told myself to stop thinking about it now and answer those questions at a later date. I decided to skip my shower and get hurriedly dressed ready for Charms before I was late.

Ten minutes later found Hermione rushing to Charms as quick as her legs could carry her with her textbooks clutched closely to her. Two minutes separated Hermione from being late and on the first week back too.

The main route would take too long now as the majority of the school body would be emanating through that area and it would take Hermione forever to get through the crowd. Hermione took the longer route which involved going down the moving stairways, hoping and praying the stairs were kind and didn't inconveniently move. Fortunately for Hermione they were. Hermione had finally got to about two corners away from the classroom with a sigh of relief from her lips as she arrived on time when the inevitable clash of bodies happened and both parties were thrown backwards to the floor in a pile of tangled legs and messed paperwork.

Hermione mumbled an apology through her winded breath and proceeded to gather her textbooks up and untangle her legs from this unfortunate stranger's one. After she had done so Hermione was about to get to her feet when she recognised the voice of the person she collided with and instantly she cursed the irony.

"That's Ok. It was as much my fault as it was yours." Cho assured her also sounding winded.

"Cho. Oh I am so sorry, really. I was late for Charms and I was rushing. Are you hurt?"

"It's ok, I'm fine Hermione. We're both fine." Cho answered with a smile.

Hermione warmed inside from her name being spoken but ducked her head down when she was too nervous to meet Cho's eyes. This was where she noticed a sheet of lined paper, not parchment, by her foot. Cho also noticed it to and in her panic she tried to laugh it off and pick it up before Hermione did but she already had bent down and glanced at what was on the other side.

It was a coloured doodle of a family. A black-haired mother wearing a bright yellow dress with orange flowers covering it, a black-haired father in a black T-shirt and dark blue shorts and a black –haired girl wearing a purple dress. The parents were holding the hands of the girl, one parent on each hand. The girl couldn't be any older than twelve and the parents were in their mid-thirties to early forties. They were standing in luscious gardens with Hydrangeas everywhere sprouting above luscious green blades of grass. The picture looked almost like Hermione's dream which Hermione put down as a spooky coincidence. They were all smiling and above the family in bubble writing was the title of this picture; A Perfect Family.

Hermione had looked at it for no more than two seconds before Cho had snatched the paper out of her hands quite harshly and crumpled it. "Forget about that" Cho said with a forced smile "Just some crappy drawing I did in a History of Magic lesson. See you" And with that Cho was gone.

Hermione was shocked at Cho's hasty exit, but not as shocked to see what it clearly was about. Why would Cho act so negatively towards a nice picture of what I assume to be her family? Is she ashamed of it? If so, why? Wouldn't having such a nice family in reference to what the picture was showing a good thing?

Hermione could only guess as to what this was linked to. Did this have something to do with why she has been isolating herself? Is this what is making her upset?

Hermione didn't know but there was only one way to solve this problem. Whatever the cost, however hard it would be, regardless of her new feelings and Harry's feelings and the consequences of what a long amount of time would do to Hermione's newfound crush on Cho. Regardless of all of that, she had to befriend Cho so that she could help her with her problem properly.

Hermione was not going to play detective on this because that would be snooping in on Cho's personal life when she had no right to. And Harry wasn't going to befriend her anytime soon. It had to be her as no one else cared enough.

Hermione got to her lesson five minutes late and never stopped thinking about Cho.

AN; Finally, chapter three is up. You guys have no idea how pressured I've been recently by assignment deadlines and if I told you I would boggle your minds. Even so sorry for the wait but here is a nice chapter to continue the Caring for Cho series.

Hydrangeas are going to be a very significant but subtle theme in this story but you will not find out why until the end why they appear in random places and are relevant to the context behind Cho and Hermione's eventual relationship so look out for them.

Next chapter HOPEFULLY up soon.

To be continued in…chapter unnamed but shouldn't be by the time you read it.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: OH MY GOSH READERS. It has seriously been too long hasn't it. Sorry to all my readers who have been kept waiting for just one blooming chapter. I have an excuse but that isn't important now; all you really care about is me shutting up and you being able to read the chapter. So yeah onwards.

Chapter 4-Stubborn is Cho

"Harry, you have to tell Dumbledore about this." Hermione begged after seeing the vicious scars caused by a blood quill that Umbridge punished Harry with as part of his detention.

The only thing going through Hermione's head apart from her concern over Harry was the abuse of power the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor was clearly exploiting and if she did it to Harry then there was no doubt she would do the same to someone else, maybe some first years. They were nervous of this school already without what could only be described as physical abuse by a professor no less.

"No" Harry replied whilst rolling his sleeve down "he has enough on his plate already. Besides I don't want to give Umbridge the satisfaction".

"Blimey Harry" Ron blurted "She's tormenting you. This is something the parents need to know about".

"Yeah well I don't have any of those do I Ron" Harry said pointedly.

They broke into an awkward silence.

"I still think we have to do something about this. If not for your sake, for the younger student's." Hermione persisted.

"Hermione, do you really think Umbridge cares about who she dishes the punishment out on? I bet with all the cruel punishments she dishes out they have a ministry official who can 'justify' those punishments." Harry explained impatiently.

"But someone has to look out for the voiceless and defenceless. I am not setting an example if I turn a blind eye to this." Hermione continued despite the warning looks being sent her way by Ron.

"Hermione as chivalrous as you sound I'm afraid it won't be nothing more than an interference to Umbridge. Just drop it." Harry said getting visibly agitated now.

" I can't! I'm a prefect!" Hermione said also getting annoyed .

"So is Ron but he knows when to drop things unlike you!" Harry retaliated.

It was clear this had turned into a full-fledged argument and in Harry's latest temper it was a very low chance that Hermione would win but Hermione's passion was ignited and she was going to give Harry his money's worth.

"Yes, he is. But, no offence to Ron, he is a passive prefect. Someone who does his duties just so he can get back his free time. I am an active prefect. Someone who sees wrongdoing and reports it regardless of who it is because it is not fair to let it continue."

"Oh whoopee, Hermione is gonna make a difference. I hate Umbridge more than even you do but this woman is capable of destroying many lives just by clicking her fingers. She even has some professors wrapped around her little finger and she is relentless in what she does. She cheats the system and gets away with it and little-miss-sunshine here thinks she can put an end to that by 'reporting her to the headmaster'." Harry argued.

Hermione was shocked to hear what Harry was saying to her. "What the hell has happened to you Harry? Where is that always decent Harry Potter I've come to know for five years?"

"He is right here. And don't get on at me about decency. Why should I play by the book whilst other nasty people discard it time and time again?" Harry said now at his feet. Ron took that moment to run for the stairs to the boys dormitory.

"Because it proves you're the bigger man!"

"The bigger man! A bigger man has power over something. What power do i have right now. None."

Hermione try to tell him he was wrong. Tried to persuade him he has power. The words were even coming out of her mouth before she realised that he was right.

Right now, neither Harry nor Dumbledore had much power. The power the headmaster has over the school is fading by the day and the Daily Prophet is no help in the matter. Like Hermione had said before, the Ministry is interfering at Hogwarts and no one can stop them it seems.

Harry saw her hesitation. "See even you know it to be true."

Then Hermione had another thought. "You may not have power at the moment but there is power in numbers."

Harry let out a groan of frustration but Hermione continued on. "Harry a mutiny against her might be what can turn this around."

"More people just means more punishment. Hermione I understand that you want jus-'

"For heaven's sake Harry, are you really this incapable of doing good when you see something that needs stopping!" Hermione's agitation at Harry had grown to the point where words were slipping out of their own accord. "Umbridge aside, you can't even help Cho when you see she's hurt."

"WHAT?" Harry shot back. Behind the anger Hermione saw traces of confusion and it got her even more riled up.

"You haven't even noticed have you?! That poor girl is hurting and the person with the crush on her can't even see it!"

"Even if i had noticed what could I do about it?!" Harry fumed.

"ANYTHING. Show her concern or just talk to her! Any of those would suffice!"

Hermione knew she shouldn't be going anywhere near this topic with Harry in the mood he was in but something deep inside her refused to back down.

"Are you really that clueless when it comes to love?" Hermione said and immediately wished she didn't. That was out of line.

Harry immediately fired up and he looked scarily angry. "Oh, I don't know maybe if had love given to me all my life I might have a different perspective of it! But I haven't been have I?! So forgive me if I can't help everyone at the same time like apparently Hermione can!" Harry ranted furiously.

"Harry, i'm sorry I didn't mean it. But it's just that no one seems to care about her." Hermione apologized.

"You think I don't care about her! Well, I do. But I barely know her. How am I in any position to help her?"

"It doesn't seem as if you even want to try." Hermione sniped.

"If you're so worried about her why don't you help her yourself?!" Harry retorted.

"Oh I was already intending to , don't worry about that. Especially as I'm the only one who gives two hoots about her." At that Hermione turned and went up the stairs to the girl's dormitory whilst Harry sat and brooded.

The first Hogsmeade weekend was upon them. Hermione and Harry had made up but that didn't stop them from being bitter towards the other. Harry could only blame his bitterness on his abnormally short temper but Hermione could not really decipher where her bitterness came from. It might have been lingering annoyance at Harry's ignorance towards Cho, she refused the thought that her bitterness might come from her current conflict about choosing between her friend and her crush.

Yes a crush. It was stupid for Hermione to say otherwise. She had that dream three nights in a row. Always with little changes like Cho would be in a Jacuzzi rather than a pond or the swing would become a tyre hanging from the tree. At one point Hermione went fully nude in her dream, to say that she was mortified at it when she woke up is an understatement.

Hermione really was at a crossroads. She so longed to continue being a true friend to Harry, especially after everything that has happened to him and everything that will happen to him. But Hermione was scared at how far her attraction to Cho might go; if her attraction turned into love then Hermione wasn't sure if she could continue being his best friend if they both wanted the same girl. Hermione had never been in love before but she was pretty sure she would fight Harry for Cho if she ended up falling for her.

The at first worrying point about admitting her feelings for the girl was exactly that. She was a girl. But after a few days she realised that she didn't actually mind all that much what gender Cho was.

Was she admitting she was gay or that she swung both ways? Maybe. But what is certain is Hermione definitely sees beauty in girls. Lavender is really quite pretty to Hermione but her nosiness and pompous attitude discourages any attraction Hermione may have to her. Even though Hermione has spoken to Cho only twice and only briefly, Hermione could tell she was not Lavender. She also trumps everyone else beauty wise: she has a stunning figure that looked athletic but goddess like, hair that looked like it would be well-conditioned at times where you thought that it would be impossible and her face looked naturally beautiful, innocence and modesty made her features look more beautiful than anything Hermione had ever seen before.

Would she give up a chance to be with Cho so that she could continue to be friends with Harry? Hermione knew the moral and decent answer. Like Harry pointed out during the argument he and Hermione had, Harry has received next to no love during his life up until the day he met Sirius and all he really has is his friends, Dumbledore and Sirius to confide in. Even when he didn't have Sirius he had Hermione and Ron to trust. How much of a betrayal will Harry find if Hermione was selfish and bagged the girl he had been crushing on since the start of fourth year. But wasn't one supposed to be selfish for the one they love. And an even more selfish part of Hermione was telling her that if Harry wanted Cho that badly he should fight for her just as much as she would. But for the moment Hermione was about as near to being with Cho as Harry was. And today was about trying to enjoy their time away from the horrendous term they have suffered to start the year.

"So what's the plan then?" Ron asked as the Golden Trio made their way into Hogsmeade.

"I was thinking maybe ice creams from Madam Puddifoot's firstly" Hermione answered.

"What about Zonkos?" Ron suggested.

"You know that the instant we bring them products into Hogwarts we will all be writing 'I will not play around with childish magical products' in our own blood." Harry said.

"Does it hurt to just look around?" Ron asked.

"We haven't come to Hogsmeade to just look around, we are here to enjoy ourselves and goddamnit we are going to enjoy ourselves today." Hermione told them "But Harry does have a point, you are not very good at resisting temptation Ron and if Umbridge does catch you..."

"Yeah, I know. Zonko's is a no no." Ron interrupted. "Wish we were in sixth year then we all will be of age to drink in the Three Broomsticks."

"Oh yes coz getting hammered is much better than having a nice time" Hermione said sarcastically.

Three chocolate brownie sundaes was placed at the table and true to continuity Ron was already indulging himself only to stop for his sudden grimace in pain.

"Brain freeze." Harry said "You would think he would learn from that but i guarantee in about thirty seconds he will be steamrolling again"

"Shut up Harry" Ron said still grimacing.

Hermione hadn't spoken a word since they sat down. She was just staring at the tablecloth paying next to no attention.

"Hermione are you Ok?" Harry asked.

"Hmm. Oh nothing, just thinking" she replied.

"Wanna enlighten us" Ron said now recovered from his ice cream inflicted headache.

Hermione didn't really want to tell them that her innocent thought of wondering if Cho liked sundaes too sent her off into a rather erotic but private line of thought.

"Just wondering how I should approach Cho." This wasn't one hundred percent a lie.

Harry stiffened at the mention of his crush's name. Whether it was through anger or anticipation Hermione didn't know.

"Call me old-fashioned but is a 'hey Cho, how are you?' too much for you" Ron asked before thoroughly licking his spoon clean.

"We're not that well acquainted Ron. I can't just approach her like that, she'll go right back into her shell and she needs to talk to someone she can trust. At the moment she doesn't trust me yet." She might not ever trust me, Hermione thought.

"Well if you want to speak to her you have to confront her. You need to make the first move." Ron advised.

"That's the thing I haven't seen her since we literally bumped into each other in the corridor, three weeks ago Ron." Hermione said with urgency.

"Well time for waiting is up" Harry said for the first time since the subject of Cho was brought up. He gestured out the window with a nod. "Cho is about to enter the bookstore."

Hermione looked immediately to see if he was right. Indeed he was.

Cho was trudging, alone again, to the bookstore opposite Madam Puddifoot's. Her beauty once again shining even though she was facing the other direction.

"Sorry boys, but you both are gonna have to have fun without me. I'm gonna speak to Cho?" Hermione excused herself.

"Hold on a sec Hermione. She ain't going anywhere. Why the rush?" Ron queried.

"I've been kept waiting for three weeks Ron. No time like the present." Hermione replied pulling her jacket on.

"It's Ok Ron. Coz Hermione is just so eager to ditch us for someone she doesn't even know." Harry said, obviously his bitterness had shown its ugly face again.

"Seriously Harry just ask her out already if you're that jealous." Hermione shot back.

Harry had a reply on his tongue but Hermione had already turned her back and exited the cafe.

Again words had forced their way out of Hermione's mouth without having full consultation with her head. At this rate it won't be long before she was practically announcing her feelings for Cho right in front of Harry. That day will be Armageddon for Harry and Hermione's friendship.

Brushing those thoughts aside Hermione focused on what she was going to say to her. Her anticipation to see Cho in Madam Puddifoot's had turned to nervousness. Hermione's pace had slowed from a speedy walk to almost a shuffle and she started fidgeting as she walked.

She reached the entrance to the store and tentatively opened it.

Hermione was worried about what she was going to say but she should have been more worried about FINDING the girl in this maze of a shop.

'It would help if I knew what books she was interested in' Hermione berated herself internally.

She had to resort to asking the shop attendant if she had seen a black-haired, Asian girl walk through the door just now. She hated having to ask that as it made her sound like a stalker ('although' she thought' I kinda am') but this way she would find her much quicker.

After being shown to Cho's approximate whereabouts Hermione thanked the attendant and marched off in that direction.

After that it didn't take her long to find Cho at all. In fact they almost collided, again.

"Oh, hey Hermione. We keep bumping into each other don't we?" Cho said conversationally.

"Err...yes. Totally by accident of course." Hermione said rather caught out by Cho's forwardness.

"Right. That's why you were in Madam Puddifoot's a few minutes ago and now you find your way here. And you could have asked the attendant about my whereabouts a little quieter if you wanted to sneak up on me." Cho teased.

"I wasn't sneaking. I promise. I was...I was just...making sure you're not enjoying your Hogsmeade trip alone." Hermione stammered in her defence.

Cho dropped her playful mood and told her "I thought I told you before that I want to be on my own."

This snapped Hermione out of her shy mood.

"How can you seriously want that? You obviously need to get things off your chest and talking to someone will really make you feel better." Hermione pleaded.

"What is there to feel better about? I will still be stuck with the burdens. They don't go away just by telling someone." Cho argued.

"No they don't. But at least you'll have one more person in your corner. Someone who will help you through the pain." Hermione returned.

"And you think you can be that person? I barely know you, why should I lay my trust with you?" Cho asked skeptically.

"You know i'm a friend of Harry's. He is a person full of problems that would make a therapist stunned and I help him through them each and every day. And I can do the same for you." Hermione said encouragingly.

" So that is all this is to you!" Cho said now visibly angry. "A job".

"No, of course not. What I want to help you with comes from my desire to be your friend."

"I DON'T NEED FRIENDS. FRIENDS ONLY LEAVE YOU IN END. THEY ARE ONLY FRIENDS FOR THEIR OWN PERSONAL GAIN. OR THEY WANT TO BE CLOSE TO THE GREAT RAVENCLAW SEEKER IN THE HOPES IT WILL BOOST THEIR OWN REPUTATION. FRIENDS DON'T EXIST FOR ME." Cho ranted furiously but it wasn't until she saw the slightly smug expression on Hermione's face that she noticed what she just done.

"You see. You just vented frustration. That wasn't so hard was it?" Hermione said.

"You know what. Forget this." Cho said deciding that she had had enough and began to try and move past Hermione but she just stopped with one hand on her chest.

"I won't stop trying you know? I can be just as persistent as you are stubborn." Hermione said. Once she realised where her hand was still positioned on Cho's chest she took it away as if burned by a hot poker.

"Then it's your time that will be wasted not mine." Cho finished before walking off with her soon to be purchases.

She got to about three yards clear of Hermione before Hermione exclaimed loud enough for Cho to hear. "Cho remember. You DON'T HAVE to be alone."

Cho halted slightly in her getaway but soon picked the pace up again.

'God she really is stubborn. And I like it' Hermione thought. At this Hermione beamed a wide smile and made to follow her on her way out of the store.

An; how good it feels to be writing again. If only this bleeding phone didn't randomly make the keypad disappear at in convenient times. Yes I had to write this chap from Google Docs on my mobile but hopefully i'm getting my tablet soon for Xmas and that can be the substitution for this. And yes i'm well aware of the fact that i cannot update my stories via mobile which is why i am going through the pahlava of sending him this via email plus my password to get on my account so he can update this for me. Why can't i just do it myself? Because college is over for the holidays, i haven't got possession of a computer at home and i'm too lazy to go to the library. So my good friend will post it for me CORRECTLY of course. Thanks Guy.

If you are thinking i cheated and copy and pasted quotes from OOTP you're wrong. I have actually watched Harry Potter so many times that i know almost exactly what they say in every scene. And the fact that it was on recently keeps the parts fresh in my mind. That is why the first part of this chap is identical to the scene in OOTP.

On the subject of this i know you're wondering if I'm gonna change the scenes slightly or not to get them identical but working towards different outcomes then the answer is yes. I will include some canon scenes but i will be manipulating them so that they lead to where we all want them to go and that is the eventual relationship between Hermione and Cho. If this isn't where you want to be lead why on earth are you ready this.

Anyway i promise next chap will be up much sooner than this one was.

To be continued in...Competing for Cho.


	5. Chapter 5

An;hey again told ya all that i'd be uploading much sooner. So without further ado here is Chapter 5.

Chapter 5-Competing for Cho.

"That foul, evil, old gargoyle. She isn't teaching us to defend ourselves, she's not teaching us how to pass our OWL's. She is taking over the whole school" Hermione ranted while she paced in front of Harry and Ron.

She was interrupted by a flash of fire from the fireplace and Sirius could clearly be seen through the flames. After asking about an update on Umbridge's current teaching techniques Harry answered him.

"Sirius, she isn't letting us use magic at all." Harry told him.

"Well that doesn't surprise me. Latest intelligence says fudge doesn't want you trained in armed combat." Sirius explained.

"So what? He thinks we are raising an army?" Ron questioned.

"That's exactly what he thinks. That Dumbledore is raising an army to take on the ministry. He's become more paranoid by the minute. The others didn't want me to tell you this Harry but things are not going well for the order at the moment. Fudge is cutting our intelligence at every corner and the disappearances are just as bad as they were before. Voldemort is on the move." Sirius warned them. The conversation was cut short and Sirius had to retreat quickly but not before giving a final warning saying "It looks like you're on your own."

After Sirius was gone from the fireplace a clap of thunder brought Hermione to her feet and she approached the window.

"He's really out there isn't he? We have to be able to defend ourselves. And if Umbridge refuses to teach us then we need someone who will."

Hermione then pointedly turned and looked at Harry giving next to no doubt that he was her mystery candidate.

It took him a few moments to realize this and he immediately backtracked.

"Whoah Hermione, I'm flattered to be thought about but I am not a qualified defence professor" Harry urged her.

"You are experienced in defending yourself against the dark arts though." Hermione reminded him.

"I hardly think being kidnapped and cursed at qualifies as experience Hermione."

"But Harry you're our only choice, who else have we got?" Hermione answered. "Dumbledore is under close observation twenty-four seven. The order, as Sirius just mentioned, is preoccupied with things as it is and no professor has the time or courage to even think about setting a secret class up."

"Can't you teach it? You're more of a professor than I am." Harry said.

"As intelligent as I am who would the students prefer; someone who knows theory about defence or someone who can show you how. Besides they will trust you over me anyday." Hermione assured him.

"I don't know Hermione" Ron added for the first time. "Most of the population of the school are calling Harry a liar. I don't see many volunteering for this."

"That is why we need to hold a meeting. To persuade as many people as we can." Hermione explained to them.

"They all think I'm crazy. They won't trust me unless they believe me." Harry said stubbornly.

"This isn't about believing Voldemort is back, it is about defending ourselves against the dangers we are soon to encounter. If they can't see that not being taught defence is not just absurd but irresponsible then we can leave them to their own devices." Hermione continued.

"You're not gonna budge on this are you?" Harry sighed.

Hermione just shook her head in defiance.

"Fine, we will have a meeting. Satisfied." Harry said.

"With your consent yes. But I won't be satisfied until we are released from our shackles and are actually taught defence by someone not corrupt and knows what they're talking about." Hermione looked sincerely into Harry's eyes.

"What do you need?" he said with sudden determination.

Hermione returned to the sofa and swiftly whipped a sheet of parchment out of her schoolbag.

"Step one was already complete before we even talked-" Hermione started.

"Hang on a minute, how long have you had this idea and how did you know I was gonna say yes?" Harry questioned accusingly.

"Firstly, a few days. Secondly, I didn't, I just wasn't gonna accept no for an answer. Now where was I?" Hermione cleared her throat before restarting. "I have already structured out a binding process. With a few enchantments I should be able to make sure that as soon as a person's name is on this parchment they can't back out, a punishment will automatically be inflicted upon anyone willingly betraying us and if Umbridge or any other person not on this parchment gets a hold of it, it will work similarly to the Marauders Map but you don't need a keyphrase, the parchment will identify if the holder is a member or not."

"Wow. How many complicated security charms do you need Hermione?" Ron said.

"Ron a secret needs to be kept a secret. This one especially."

"Hermione, you said the parchment will recognise who the holder is. The only way to do that is..." Harry informed her. It seems Harry had spotted something Hermione hoped he would spot.

"Yes Harry. This requires blood binding" Hermione answered for him.

Ron's eyes went comically wide. "Are you really going THAT hardcore on this?".

Hermione sighed. "I know it's advanced magic but it is more than necessary".

"Hey, if it works it works." Harry encouraged.

"But do you think the students will be up for that?. You know donating their own blood isn't a common or simple occurrence. Dad doesn't even do blood bindings unless he is really committed to a cause. Persuading students to sign is one thing; persuading them to give their blood is another more difficult thing?"

"Well then they know we will play hardball for this cause. It might influence people if our enthusiasm and dedication is anything to go by. Which is why we will do our bindings first and in front of them. We can give them the option of doing there own bindings in private or following our lead and doing them publically." Hermione explained.

"Well that is the security bit done." Harry said, moving the conversation along. "Who is coming and who is asking who?"

Hermione tried to hide a smile but it failed as soon as Harry narrowed his eyes at her fondly.

"You've jumped the gun again haven't you?" He asked knowingly.

"Jumped the what? A muggle gun is easy to jump over isn't it?" Ron asked puzzled.

He was ignored by Hermione saying.

"Yes, I've already thought of a much easier way to convince people to come." Hermione said bashfully.

She reached into her bag and pulled out another two sheets of parchment .She laid them down in Harry's lap and he read them.

The first sheet of parchment was a letter. It read:

_Dear Neville,_

"Neville was just a basis for the letter to be written. I won't just send this letter to him" Hermione explained. Harry continued reading.

_It is clear to some people that ever since 'Dolores' started teaching at Hogwarts many things have changed, for the worse in my opinion although your opinion may differ. One of these changes that i am particularly displeased about is the total lack of teaching ability that 'Dolores' brings to her assigned teaching subject, Defence Against the Dark Arts._

_Therefore I have sent you this letter to inform you and/or convince you to attend a meeting come the next Hogsmeade trip about signing up for a special secret defence class taught by fellow student Harry Potter._

_I know that what i'm asking for you is against school rules and will indefinitely be severely punished if we were to be caught but I believe it is for the greater good for this class to be set-up._

_I also am more than aware that many of you have a negative opinion on Harry at the moment, you may even like how the lesson structure for DADA is setup as it is. If that is how you feel then think of it as a practice session for the theory you learn in DADA. On the topic of Harry, this letter is not a plea to believe in what he says, neither is it a secret group set up by Dumbledore to rebel against the ministry. It is a secret, student-only class that is taught by a fellow student who knows the basic knowledge you need about defence. You may never have to use the skills you will learn in this lesson at any point in your lives but if such unfortunate scenarios do show up then you will have the knowledge to escape harm. If you're a person who believes that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back, use this lesson to prepare yourself if you feel you need the protection. If you don't, use this lesson to further enhance your abilities. We will understand if you decline this invitation but note you may regret it at some point in future._

_The meeting will take place at 2pm in the Hogs Head pub. If for any reason you cannot attend besides a refusal and you want to be part, please notify us so we can organize a private meeting. Furthermore if you want to refuse the invitation then notify us or simply don't turn up. If you attend the meeting and decide you don't want to be included then you will receive butterbeer as compensation for your time._

_Thank you ever so much for your cooperation._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Hermione Granger._

_P.S. once you finish reading this letter it will automatically set alight. I would put it down if i were you._

Harry immediately threw the letter down to the floor only for nothing to happen.

_"_You Wally. As if I would put the charm on the parchment before I duplicated it." Hermione chuckled.

"Sorry, it was just instinct." Harry said "You are honestly gonna offer Butterbeer to them?"

"Let's call it Butterbeer, Prefect style." Hermione smirked.

"You mean a random, non-alcoholic beverage disguised as Butterbeer" Ron guessed.

"You guys know me too well" Hermione said fondly.

"Do you reckon that will work?" Harry asked whilst Ron read the letter himself.

"Are you kidding? Providing 'Butterbeer'. It will be like catching bees with honeycomb. It will be a full house i'm sure of it." Ron said confidently.

"Ron is right. Though i'm sure there is more to my letter than just the Butterbeer" Hermione frowned at Ron. "All the people i've invited are people we know and people willing to learn properly. So naturally no Slytherins are invited." Hermione joked.

Harry and Ron both laughed and Hermione just smiled. "Well if these letter doesn't do the trick, nothing will."

Harry reached for the second parchment.

"Oh, and they are the list of people we are inviting." Hermione said.

"I gathered"

Hermione just raised her eyebrows a second and nodded, impatiently waiting for Harry's thoughts.

"This is quite the list" Harry stated.

"Well this isn't your common birthday party. A class has a lot of students in it."

Harry just continued oblivious. "Let's see. Ginny, Luna, Neville, Fred, George..."

"Cho" Ron said reading it over his best mates shoulder with a nudge. Harry blushed.

Hermione tried to stop the wave of annoyance sweeping through her.

"Nice Hermione. That was really sweet thinking of Harry like that." Ron said.

Hermione replied harsher than was necessary and more harsher than intended. "I didn't do it for Harry."

Harry went from red with embarrassment to red with anger. Ron looked like a goldfish with his gaping mouth and was rapidly throwing worried looks back and forth to his two best mates. Hermione recoiled at what she just said, slapping herself internally.

"What?!" Harry said with gritted teeth.

Hermione tried to redeem herself. "I mean. I didn't do it just for you Harry. I felt she needed to be included in something to maybe get her talking to people more. You just to get her out of her shell. The added bonus of her being the girl you like is a fortunate coincidence for you."

"Yeah. She didn't mean anything by what she said just now." Ron told him.

Harry calmed down a little but something in his facial expression told Hermione he wasn't entirely convinced by her desperate plea to redeem herself.

He excused himself and disappeared to the boys dorm.

As soon as he was out of sight Ron immediately interrogated Hermione.

"OK, what was THAT all about?"

"What?"

"Don't play dumb. Why did you snap like that?"

"I was only letting him know the main reason why I invited her."

"And why did that require biting his head off."

"I didn't snap at him, I snapped at you. About misinterpreting things."

"Still struggling to see why a reason such as that conjures a reaction like what you gave."

"I didn't mean to put it that harshly. The words just came out."

"Did you even think about how Harry has been reacting to small things lately? And we were talking about a sensitive topic involving Harry and Cho. You know how much Harry thinks about Cho?"

Hermione almost had to bite her lips to stop blurting in response. 'What about how I think about her'.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think."

"Well no harm done. But just remember that in future."

"Ok. I will."

Ron yawned and said "well i'm gonna join him"

"Night Ron."

"Night Mione"

And like that Hermione was all alone.

"Hermione you lovesick Twit. Get a grip of yourself" she chastised herself.

Hermione never was a person to talk first, think later. She always knew the right thing to say in a short amount of time. But recently, since her discovery of her crush, everytime Cho was mentioned in the same sentence as Harry she almost completely lost control on what words came out her mouth and she had to rely on her head to get her out of sticky situations. And the previous outburst was the worst yet. If this continued much longer then her friendship with Harry was counting the days until it ended.

All this proved her feelings were getting stronger. Soon she will be in love with the Ravenclaw, she had a bad feeling about all this. It almost made her give up and cease her plans to befriend Cho but she knew (whether it was just her heart talking or a gut instinct) that she isn't going to trust Harry and neither will Harry try and properly understand and help Cho with her problems. Harry is the nicest guy Hermione has ever met but Hermione knew that Harry was only understanding to friends and people he has known a while. When it comes to being together with Cho, Harry will only be concerned about how to maintain his relationship with the girl. This was no fault of his own but Harry is so insecure that he will next to never be thinking about Cho until he is comfortable and settled. Cho needs her problems solved before anyone is allowed to date her, including Hermione herself.

Hermione also felt guilty that she hadn't been totally honest when she said she invited Cho for Harry. Harry, shamefully, didn't even cross her mind when she thought about Cho. What she said about the confidence bit was true but it was for her benefit that she invited Cho.

"Why Cho? Why couldn't I fall for another girl? Or better yet a boy? Why did it have to be my best mates crush I fell for?" Hermione grumbled as she flopped face first onto the common room sofa.

She knew why of course. No one was more beautiful or charming or sweet or sexy...you get the idea, no one could outshine Cho.

"I mm wer er twuly skwoowd" Hermione said into the cushion.

A few minutes later and Hermione was dreaming about the girl who MADE her well and truly screwed.

"Great spot Hermione" Ron said sarcastically as they entered the Hogs Head.

"Yeah, well I needed a place that is off the beaten track" Hermione said also a bit repulsed at the look of the place.

They made their way through the pub and to the room the group was meeting up.

"Do you reckon many showed?" Ron asked.

"Surely some have attended" Hermione insisted, if to only reassure herself.

They entered the back room and immediately were hit with a load of chatter.

Harry, Ron and even Hermione were shocked with the outcome. The room had at least eighteen students discluding the Golden Trio. Ginny, Neville, Luna, Fred and George were there of course but some surprise turnouts were Zacharias Smith, Parvati and Padma Patil, Dean Thomas, even a second year Gryffindor named Nigel who Hermione didn't even invite (she decided she would have to find out later how he knew of this meeting but he seemed harmless). But the one person Hermione was pleased to see over anyone in more ways than one was Cho Chang.

Hermione had to force herself to look away but it was hard because said person was staring right back. She, Harry and Ron sat at the three chairs facing the group and it wasn't long until they had the whole room's attention. Hermione awkwardly stood up and started to speak.

"Erm...hi. We all know why we are here. We need a teacher, a real teacher. Someone who has real experience defending themselves against the dark arts..."

"Why?" asked Zacharias Smith.

"Why?! Coz You-Know-Who is back, you Tosspot." Ron answered.

"Says him" Zacharias added nodding towards Harry.

"Says Dumbledore" Hermione joined in.

"So Dumbledore says coz he says. Point is where's the proof?"

"Maybe Potter could tell us more about how Diggory died." said Terry Boot.

It wasn't just Harry who sent a glare his way, Cho sent her fellow classmate a deathly glare but he never saw it.

Harry stood up. "I'm not gonna talk about how Cedric died so if that's why you're here you may as well go" he turned to Hermione and grumbled "Come on Hermione. They're only here coz they think I'm a crazy person."

Hermione started pleading when an airy voice spoke up. "Is it true you can perform the Patronus charm?". The voice came from Luna Lovegood.

"Yes. He can. I've seen it." Hermione answered for him.

"Blimey Harry. I didn't know you can do that." said Dean Thomas.

"And he killed the Basilisk, with the sword in Dumbledore's office." Neville added.

"It's true" Ginny chirped in agreement.

"I heard he took on a hundred Dementors at once." Ron added into the fray.

"And last year he really did fight off You-Know-Who in the flesh." Hermione pointed out.

"Wait" Harry said "It all sounds great when you put it like that but most of that was just luck; I didn't know what I was doing most of the time, I nearly always had help" he said looking to Hermione beside him.

"He's just being modest" Hermione assured everyone.

"No Hermione, I'm not. Facing this stuff in real life is not like it is in school. In school, if you fail you can try again tomorrow but out there, when you're a second away from being killed or watching a friend die...you don't know what that's like." Harry explained.

"You're right Harry, we don't. That's why we need your help." Hermione said urgently.

"He's really back?" asked Nigel.

Harry just nodded.

"Now, like I said in the letter, if you're still having second thoughts then you can leave and we will think no less of you. Hands up who wishes to sign their name." Hermione instructed.

Everyone raised their hand.

"This also requires blood binding for security reasons. Keep your hands up if you are one hundred percent OK with that."

Some arms lowered hesitantly before shooting up again.

"Ok. Great. Please line up to sign the parchment and when you're done you can either do the blood bindings here or in a private room if it makes you feel more comfortable. And thank you all."

After the whole group signed their names after Harry, Hermione and Ron, they all stood waiting for further instruction the Golden Trio all demonstrated the blood binding ritual and one by one they waited their turn whilst Ron did the public rituals.

Hermione took this opportunity to question little Nigel.

"Hey...Nigel, is it? I'm curious. I never actually recall sending you an invitation. How is it that you learnt of this meeting?" Hermione asked politely.

"Oh. Erm...well, a student I know got his letter and he wasn't very subtle. He kinda read the whole letter out loud"

"Where Nigel? Who else heard?"

"Oh, Don't worry. It was in the common room and there was only a few people in there. In fact, the guy who read it never even turned up."

Hermione had a good feeling he was referring to Seamus Finnegan.

"Oh that's a shame." Hermione commented. 'At least there will be less explosions'

"Miss Granger?" asked Nigel.

"Call me Hermione"

"Hermione? About what you said about having private, you know, blood thingy." Nigel asked.

"You want to have a private binding?" she asked in reply.

She would have listened to the boys reasoning for wanting a private binding but was distracted by Harry slowly making his way over to the other side of the room. In the direction of Cho.

Cho would most probably want to do a private binding too. Hermione could see what Harry had in mind and Hermione, despite her brain reminding her of her friendship with Harry, felt a surge of desperation creep in. That was when part of what Nigel was saying caught her attention.

"...I only wanted to do this because I've always looked up to Harry but I'm just scared that because I'm the youngest person here my inexperience in magic, well I don't want to embarrass myself in front of...everyone."

"Hey." Hermione cried "I know just the person who can help you."

Then she grabbed the boy's wrist and pulled him through the crowd.

Harry was about to greet Cho before Hermione showed just in time. "Harry, this boy Nigel would like you to do his private blood binding for him."

"Oh". Harry said forcing a smile "I would love to but I was about to ask Cho".

"I'm sorry Harry. Really I am." Hermione hoped she sounded convincing. "But Nigel asked for you to do it personally." Nigel looked confused and Hermione just hoped he stayed quiet instead of denying what she was saying.

"Ok. I will do Nigel's right after I do Cho's."

"The thing is Harry, Nigel has to go in five minutes. The ritual lasts three minutes. He will be late if he doesn't do it now. Nigel has to meet up with someone very important, isn't that right Nigel?"

She pleaded subtly with her eyes to just go along with it.

"Yeah...That's right. My father has an urgent message that he couldn't tell me via post and I must meet him." Nigel said. He looked at Hermione as if to say 'I don't really know what you're playing at'. Hermione just gave him a look of gratitude.

"Don't worry Harry." Hermione said turning back to him. "I could do Cho's if she doesn't mind."

"Of course not" Cho answered, she had a very amused look on her face. It seemed that Harry was the only person who was none the wiser about Hermione's true intentions.

"Fine" Harry said, not even bothering to hide his annoyance. "Come on then Nigel. Let's get it done."

Harry soon disappeared into the crowd and went out the door. Hermione didn't even notice Cho sneak behind her until she whispered in her ear "was that really necessary?"

Hermione let her eyes flutter closed and gave a little gasp. "What do you mean?"

Cho stepped away and Hermione missed the closeness immediately "you know. Tricking Harry." Cho said "Are you that desperate to see me?"

"I told you i'm as persistent as you are stubborn. Now come on, I expect you want to do the ritual in a more private location." Hermione couldn't help the slight blush at the unintentional innuendo.

Cho followed Hermione out of the room. She lead them to one of the rented out rooms the pubmaster let them use. Despite the grittiness of the room, Hermione had to push away any dirty thoughts about what her and Cho could do in this bed.

"Have a seat" Hermione offered. Cho sat on the bed. Hermione whipped out what looked like a muggle boiling tube.

"I have to admit, i'm a little surprised you came" Hermione stated.

"Yeah. So am I actually. And trust me I didn't come for the 'Butterbeer'. Seriously Hermione, everyone should know that the prefect Hermione Granger never willingly offers alcohol to students, in school OR out school." Hermione chuckled and hung her head a little.

"And I also didn't come to be sociable or be part of something. I am here to focus on my studies and unlike a lot of people in the other room I already believed Harry about Voldemort being back before I came here." Cho continued. Hermione shocked to hear her say the Dark Lord's name without pause or hesitation, and even more surprising was the hatred that came with it.

Hermione muttered the correct incantations to the tube before speaking again. "I never did ask, how bad was it to lose Cedric?"

"I'm not gonna answer that"

"That's fine. I already know the answer."

Cho looked up confused.

"What? You thought I have only recently taken notice of you? I was probably the only one in the Great Hall that noticed how destroyed you looked that night school ended last year. You were too upset to even look at your food. And that made you feel worse, because you thought no one even cared enough to even notice how affected you were."

"Thanks Hermione." Cho said sarcastically, scowling deeply "thanks for that trip down memory lane".

"Don't you see the point i'm trying to make. I, Hermione, was the only person to even notice. You wanted someone to notice you and someone did."

"So what, I should be your friend because you saw me in the Great Hall" Cho replied.

"I was the only person to visit you in that compartment on the Express when you were on your own even though you wanted to be alone. If someone cares about someone they make sure they are OK, even if that person tells you not too. I followed you around a bookstore just to convince you to open up to someone. And right now I'm here, even when occupied with something else, trying to help you. What more do I need to do?"

"That's simple" Cho said dejectedly. "If you care for me you should stay away. I only seem to lose the ones who care for me."

Hermione sat on the bed beside Cho. "Arm."

Cho held her arm out to Hermione. Hermione transfigured a hairpin into a needle and pushed gently but firmly into a vein protruding out of her elbow pit.

Cho winced slightly as the needle pierced the vein and a droplet of blood appeared on Cho's smooth skin.

"That's what this is really all about isn't it, the people who once told you they cared have stabbed you in the back and the one person who really did care for you was taken from you. You're thinking that it's your fault you end up losing them."

Hermione held her wand over the droplet and muttered another incantation. Slowly the droplet rose up, hovering underneath Hermione's wand like a red moon. Slowly Hermione lead the droplet towards the boiling tube. When the droplet was directly above the tube, Hermione tapped her wand with her index finger. Instead of falling to the bottom of the tube, the droplet hovered right in the middle and started to pulsate.

"You wouldn't listen to me if I told you it isn't your fault. So, the only way I know how to stop your self-loathing is to push, and push, and push until you realise that people who truly care for you, never go away" Hermione said whilst dabbing at the bleeding arm with cotton wool. When she was finished she looked up, directly into Cho's eyes and said "And i'm never going away."

Cho, for the first time since Hermione had known her, smiled with intense happiness. "Wow. You really are amazing as they say."

Hermione was rendered speechless at the beauty of that smile.

"I cannot promise that what you will do will work but I won't make it too hard for you to try." Cho told her.

"You can't promise that it won't, and I promise I will never stop trying. Never." Hermione replied whilst her eyes went to Cho's lips.

"Thank you." Cho said softly.

Hermione was about to lean in when someone knocked at the door. "Hermione, you done in there yet?". It was Harry. The saviour of the wizarding world and Hermione's best friend, was incredibly lucky to have a door as a defense otherwise Hermione's fist may have 'accidentally' connected with his nose.

"Yes...Harry. I'm done." Hermione said hiding her frustration immensely.

The door clicked open and the raven-haired boy entered. "Erm...the group has signed and binded, we're all set to go." His words were meant for Hermione but he was speaking them to Cho.

'Retract those green eyes from Cho's brown ones before I make them cross-eyed' Hermione had to bite her lip from saying.

"Right. Let's go." Hermione said, not trusting herself to say anything more before she insulted Harry and inevitably destroyed their friendship right there.

An; I loved this chapter. I really did.

First thing's first, there was no hint in the film that any charms were on the parchment they signed so technically i'm not breaking canon by adding the blood binding. Secondly, no idea who the person who told Harry to tell them more about Cedric was, even IMDb doesn't know, so I made him Terry Boot. And finally i was gonna include the scene after the meeting where Hermione tells Harry that Cho couldn't keep her eyes off him (i was gonna make Hermione lie to Harry so that her guilt about liking his crush was quenched a little bit) but the chapter is long as it is and i also thought that Hermione deserved to have the right to get close to Cho, so i improvised and put the underhand tactic stunt in there to get Hermione alone with her.

This story has been jumping quite big chunks of the original story but in the next few chapters, they will jumping by days rather than months.

And this was typed up on my phone again but i will just send it to myself so that when i get my tablet today i can get it from my gmail and then upload. This is more of a reminder to me than an authors note as you wouldn't be reading this if i hadn't already done what i just said i was gonna do. I've confused myself, so you're not the only one lol.

And Merry Christmas to you all.

Tbc...Loving Cho.


	6. Chapter 6

an: If you're reading this story and wondering why haven't I updated Converting the bookworm in ages then the answer is simple. I didn't have enough time in college to write ANY fanfiction at all. And when the holidays started I decided to update my stories but I had already started the next chapter for Converting the bookworm at college, I am not typing the whole thing up again so you are just gonna have to wait until after the holidays to see the next chapter I'm afraid. But at least this story is coming along nicely.

Chapter 6- loving cho

'Come on Cho, if this doesn't show I care you may need glasses over those beautiful eyes' Hermione thought as she walked to the owlery with a wrapped present underneath her arm.

Cho's birthday. The sixteenth of December. Hermione was never the one to forget birthdays and today was no exception. how did Hermione find this out? Or should I say Inspector Granger.

Yes, Hermione was playing detective. Even though she said that playing detective was not an option; after Cho practically gave Hermione permission to convince her that she cares for her, Hermione took it upon herself to revoke that statement.

So Hermione did some digging. She didn't ask any fellow Ravenclaws because she didn't want them to start insinuating things and creating a rumour. Hermione knew that Cho's birthday was soon. Hermione had been watching Cho and this time not because she was lovesick. Cho had received a letter, a letter that put a happy smile on her face. Hermione was instantly curious. So Hermione had to get that letter, all she needed was a distraction. That distraction was courtesy of Gred and Forge. They came stampeding into the Great Hall with small cylinders releasing purple, orange,green,red, blue and yellow smoke. They ran down both sides of the Slytherin table, covering everyone presently sitting there. Every student was watching, including Cho. Hermione had five seconds at best .She Accio'd Cho's letter, skimmed through it and quickly shot it back the way it came, and all before Cho turned round again.

The letter was from someone named Rosalina and it was saying that she wished Cho a happy early birthday and told her she wished she could send her something. The letter seemed warm and loving but Hermione could sense that the person writing it was hesitating to go into detail, as if she expected Cho to already know the details. The woman also talked about her family, but didn't mention Cho's. That lead Hermione to believe that she was not related to Cho. Hermione felt a sinking feeling and this feeling only sank deeper when she saw how this woman ended her letter. 'Take care my sweet Hydrangea'. Who was this woman? Could it be that Cho and Rosalina are an item? Cho smiled when she read it, surely this girl cannot be more than a very close friend. Can she?

But if she was then how is it that Cho is so insecure? Cho couldn't BE more cared for if she already had a girlfriend, and it doesn't look like this Rosalina is going anywhere soon. So this doesn't explain why she is like she is at the moment. No, this person couldn't possibly be Cho's secret girlfriend.

But the crucial thing Hermione found out was that Cho's birthday was soon.

With this knowledge Hermione went to work on getting a present for Cho. The trips to Hogsmeade were finished so Hermione had to pull a few strings to get her present, hopefully it would prove to Cho that Hermione did care.

It seemed that the great Hermione Granger had gone far beyond her limits as a friend. A friend shouldn't mess with a person's love life. Hermione was so far beyond her limits that she had no way of getting back. She had fallen too far beyond the point of no return and to be honest to herself, she didn't want to go back. She didn't know how deep Harry's feelings for Cho went but they could not compare to how she felt. She wasn't able to sleep if she didn't think of Cho, everytime she saw her she wished she was hers. Harry was indeed her love rival, and she was winning. She was desperate to keep it that way.

She dreaded the day that Harry found out but until then, Hermione will not give up.

After a full day of playing detective, trying to find out Cho's birthday,Hermione decided that she was a rubbish detective. book smart but no Inspector Morse. So Hermione had to just play it safe and hope her present was sent a few days early or on Cho's birthday instead of late.

Hermione reached the top of the stairwell to the owlery and pushed the door open, the moment she was inside she was immediately looking for snowy white feathers almost the blacks, greys and browns of the regular owls. Harry almost always let his friends use his owl and Hedwig trusted Hermione. Once sighted, Hermione was about to head in Hedwig's direction but then stopped abruptly.

'Hermione, you stupid idiot, how can I use Hedwig? Hedwig is recognised throughout the school as Harry's owl. When Cho receives the gift, who is the first person she will think sent Hedwig?' Hermione berated herself.

Such a mistake would openly give Harry a way into this love triangle. Hermione would prefer it if Harry stayed out of it.

'But who do I send then?' Hermione thought. Then Hermione recognised the owl who gave Cho the letter from that Rosalina, perched two feet away from the snowy feathered Hedwig, asleep. Almost in direct contrast to Hedwig, this owl was pitch black with occasional white speckles. It had Mohawk style feathers on it's head and golden irises around it's equally jet black pupils.

"How peculiar, she is still here." Hermione said out loud.

This indeed was peculiar. If the owl belonged to Rosalina then the bird would've had some food and a bit of water and then returned to her when it was necessary. This owl was still here two days after the letter. You would then think it must be Cho's owl but one thing Hermione noticed from the weeks and weeks of watching her at mealtimes, was that Cho never received anything, ANYTHING at all. Not even a Daily Prophet, another reason why the letter surprised Hermione.

The first thought that came to Hermione was inevitably about WHY Cho never received anything? Hermione didn't write as often as she should to her parents but she did write occasionally and they always replied. Harry had Sirius and the order to write to, the Weasley kids had the Weasley Patriarch and Matriarch, even Luna had her father. But Cho was never seen writing nor reading anything at all. Of course she might do it privately but part of Cho's happiness of receiving the letter was the fact she was actually sent something, her eyes lit up as soon as the bird swooped down the table making Cho momentarily hypnotise Hermione with her beauty. Was it coz she actually received something or was it coz she received something...from 'her'?

After thinking through all that Hermione then thought "Whose bird is it then?"

Hermione didn't know, she also didn't really care at the moment. She knew the bird could find Cho, and keep her identity secret from people other than Cho. Hermione approached the owl and tentatively stuck a palm out. The new owl awoke and looked confused at Hermione. so too did Hedwig, obviously puzzled as to why it's trusted friend Hermione was approaching an unknown owl. Hermione just waited for a sign that the bird accepted her. After a few moments the owl chirped in impatience. Hermione gulped, 'What is so scary about an owl?' She told herself.

"Hi little one. Sorry to disrupt your sleep but I hoped I could use your assistance."

"First off, I am not little one" the bird said with a deep female voice. Yes, apparently the bird speaks. "My name is Obelix. And there are plenty of other birds here, including your usual owl..." She nodded to Hedwig before returning to the brunette in front of her "...that can 'assist you'. I, however, am obliged only to give assistance to my master."

Hermione was too surprised to hear the bird speak to reply straight. She started to stutter "E-e-excuse me. I didn't mean to be rude, I was just desperate that's all."

"Do you mind moving along, you are blocking the breeze?" Obelix continued in a bored tone.

"Sure. Goodbye" Hermione was about as small as a mouse at being brushed aside so indifferently, she was about to turn away when she stopped.

"Your master? Can I ask as to who that is?"

"And since when have you decided that that is your business?" The owl replied crossly.

"I'm just curious; there is a friend I know and I believe you gave her a letter the other day. Her name is..."

"Cho, I know, I've known her since she was a little girl" Obelix said fondly.

"Is she your master?"

"Why all the questions!?"

Hermione knew she couldn't continue unless she told the bird what she had found out, and this bird could easily tell Cho everything. So how much does she tell the owl?

"I...got this" Hermione said showing the owl the gift "For her birthday."

The owl, instead of looking suspicious at how Hermione knew it was Cho's birthday, chirped in slight excitement.

"Are you trying to tell me you are here...for Cho?"

"Yes, I am."

Obelix got even more excited.

"So, you two are friends."

"I like to think we are, but she is slightly hesitant about that."

Obelix looked puzzled "How do you mean?"

Hermione sighed. 'At least I'm getting it off my chest to someone other than Cho'.

"I want to be her friend but she is making it difficult."

Obelix too sighed. " Yep, sounds like Cho."

Hermione was excited now. Maybe she could get information about Cho that the Ravenclaw was adamant about keeping locked up.

"How long has Cho been like this?" Hermione asked her.

"Ahh, not so fast girl. I'm not saying anything until Cho trusts you enough to tell you herself."

"I was afraid you were gonna say that" Hermione grumbled, hanging her head.

Obelix flapped her wings and lifted off her perch to land on the brunette's shoulder. "Cheer up girl. I would consider it a miracle, even for an immensely caring girl like yourself, to draw her out off her shell".

" That doesn't stop me from trying."

"Yeah. Love is the greatest fuel a person needs to motivate themselves, I just wish Cho's didn't go to waste" Obelix confessed.

Hermione was so interested in the latter part of that she didn't even have time to feel embarrassed about her affection for Cho being revealed to this peculiar bird.

"Go to waste!? What do you..."

"Right, Cho's present from you. I'll make sure she gets it as soon as possible." Obelix interrupted, clearly Hermione had winkled something out of Obelix that the owl would rather she had not.

Hermione was about to say thanks and hand it over but she remembered her plan.

"Wait, can you deliver it in exactly ten minutes? Cho should be in the Great Hall and I want to see her reaction."

"I think I can do a few laps of the forest before coming back for it. It's dinnertime for owls too you know. Leave it here and will pick it up when I get back."

"But what if someone takes it whilst you're gone?"

"Let's just say, you young lady are the only person who visits the owlery in the evening. Other students hate the cold, and the smell I guess. However if such an occurrence should happen, I will leave it up high and out of sight."

"Thank you. Thanks Obelix." Hermione thanked as the owl took the present out of her hands and flew high up among the highest beams.

"I too would do anything for Cho, even if she never asked me to." And before long the owl swooped down again and soared out, disappearing into the ever darkening light.

Exactly eight minutes and twenty-seven seconds later, Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table waiting anxiously for the appearance of the talking owl. To keep her emotions hidden and hopefully keep herself calm, Hermione had small talk and banter with the usual suspects. One of which was Harry to whom she had to physical force herself not to smash her fist into his face everytime he had the chance to look at Cho. Cho, as beautiful as ever, was minding her own business and eating with the idea of savouring the food instead of wolfing the stuff down like many others. One 'Other' in particular was sitting diagonally from her.

"Ron, could you please try to eat like a human being." Hermione pleaded.

Ron just gave her a confused look, as if he thought all humans ate the way he did. Then he shrugged and just proceeded with devouring his food.

"Well, that's a record, I'm sure." Ginny said beside her whilst licking her fingers.

"What is?" Hermione asked.

"You. Ron has now been eating for six minutes and you only just this second commented on it."

Hermione just rolled her eyes at the redhead and replied "Oh Ginny, I think I have more important things to think about than Ron's lack of table manners" Hermione said watching said boy trying to chug his pumpkin juice and chew off a piece of a corn cob at the same time. "It's a waste of time anyway".

Ginny too balked a little at her brother. "And what is so important that you disregard your usual older sister/younger brother dining routine?"

"Exams." Hermione said.

"Now I know you're lying."

"Why?"

Ginny just glanced at Harry and he filled her in. "Because Hermione, if exams were on your mind you wouldn't be: A, talking calmly, you would be fretting. And B, you would have skipped dinner completely and stayed in the library."

"I'm not thinking about passing exams. I'm thinking about what ones are related to my desired career." Hermione said, improvising.

This was acceptable in their eyes as they just changed topic.

Hermione was halfway through congratulating herself on her quick thinking under scrutiny when she sensed movement up high.

Obelix had arrived slap bang on the ten minute mark. She flew the length of the Ravenclaw table like an aeroplane landing on a runway before slowing her momentum by flapping her wings. She landed in a very surprised Cho's lap. Cho immediately greeted the owl and released the owl's 'Cargo' from her talons. Obelix then perched on her shoulder and, to any other, looked like she was nipping affectionately at Cho's ear. But Hermione, who knew different, could tell by Cho's puzzled expression that the owl had just whispered something into her ear. Other students were either occupied or uninterested to notice any of this. After all, it wasn't unusual to see an owl flying about the hall.

Cho unwrapped the gift and prised open the leather coated box. Her eyes bulged in surprise as she revealed a bronze locket. Hermione could see Cho reading the note that came with it.

_In times where you feel loneliest... This will show you someone to remind you that you are anything but._

Cho returned her attention to the locket. All the way from the Gryffindor table, Hermione could see the internal battle Cho was having. Her doubt versus her excitement. In the end the latter won and Cho tentatively opened the locket.

Hermione hoped beyond hope that the charm worked. She had her blood taken twice; one for the DA and one for the locket. Using a blood bind, Hermione converted the ordinary locket into a projection of her own live eyesight. Cho would see everything Hermione saw, and just like in a normal human eye whatever the eye is focussed on, the peripheral is blurry. This versions peripheral was twice as blurry, to ensure that Cho could only focus on exactly what Hermione was focussing on. Hermione thought of this so that when Cho needed her or just needed to remind herself, she knew where to find her.

So Cho was looking directly at Hermione looking at her. Cho smiled, she knew who it was before she even met their eyes. Hermione didn't dare look away. Cho mouthed a thank you and Hermione returned it with a shy smile. 'Maybe there is hope' Hermione thought.

"You've done it Neville." Hermione congratulated. "You've found the room of requirement."

"The what?" Ron asked.

At the groups confused glances, Hermione elaborated. "Also known as the come and go room. The room of requirement only appears when a person in good need of it, and it is equipped with the seekers needs."

" So, say you really needed a toilet?" Ron asked.

"Charming Ronald. But yes that is the general idea."

" It's brilliant " Harry said joyfully. "It's like Hogwarts wants us to fight back".

" Right, shall we set up?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, let's do it" Harry replied.

"Harry?" Hermione asked whilst grabbing his arm to stop him walking away. " Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Yeah,sure"

She pulled him towards the nearest corner of the room before releasing him. "It's about Cho"

Harry immediately turned concerned. "What about her?"

Hermione swallowed a surge of irritation. "It's nothing to worry about, I was just thinking about finding an alternative way to teach her in the DA."

" Ah, I see."

"You and I both know that Cho will try to do her best but we won't see her best potential..."

"...if she is holding back and not socialising." Harry finished for her.

"Exactly. I'm not saying she shouldn't try her best in the class that you will provide, but she might need an extra session with someone she trusts to perform at her best and get better"

"And you want that person to be me?" Harry asked.

Harry and Hermione, ever since third year had, such a chemistry bond that some thought they were long lost twins. Harry could usually hijack a question or statement that Hermione made and then be able to instantly work out a solution that Hermione had also pondered about. But this year it was different. Add a love interest into the mix and that chemistry evaporated at a very lively rate. The hijacking and problem solving was still there but the majority of the time, especially when Cho was mentioned, Harry's version of problem solving was entirely different to Hermione's. This was obviously due to both teens wanting Cho and so their solutions clashed, causing arguments. This was an example.

"Harry, even though you are incredibly trustworthy, I don't think she will trust you. She barely trusts me". Hermione said, this time she wasn't irritated with him. This time she was feeling huge amounts of sympathy for the boy. Imagine if you really liked someone but your best friend had her trust over you; what happens if Hermione does succeed in getting Cho. It would be a tough pill to swallow knowing you were doomed from the very start. That's without the stress of taking on a dark wizard and his equally dark army.

" yeah, I...guess you are right." Harry admitted, but looked really crestfallen all the same.

"Yeah. Well, then it's up to me." Hermione said act indifferent but actually she was really excited about it.

This didn't fool harry either.

"I'm not gonna bite your head off just for offering to help Cho with her defence skills, Hermione. I know if I can't do it you can."

"Sorry, I know what you feel about Cho. In didn't want you to take it the wrong way."

"Thanks but it wasn't necessary."

Hermione paused before saying "When shall I start?"

"That's up to you" he answered and that was the last thing he said before the first class took place.

"You got my note then?" Hermione asked as Cho stepped through the door.

"Evidently yes" Cho replied. " why do I have a practice session all of a sudden?"

"To make you more comfortable. I know you try in the DA class but you don't try your best"

"And what makes you say that?"

Hermione and Cho started off halfway across the room for each other now they were face to facen Hermione continued approaching. In fact, Hermione didn't stop there she then leaned her head to Cho's and the curious eyes turned to shock as she anticipated what she thought Hermione was gonna do. Right before their lips could touch, Hermione darted to the left to whisper in her ear. "Because you don't want to do well. If you did well others will give you the spotlight. As soon as you're recognised as someone useful with defensive spells, people will befriend you just to take advantage of that. You don't want history repeating itself."

Cho breathed rather shallow breathes with Hermione so close to her pulse points of her neck. " how...do you...know all this...Hermione?" Cho whispered back, eyes closed.

"I know you more than you think. I know you more than I care to admit." Hermione whispered back, then she pulled back and returned to her normal self. " right, the disarming spell. From what I've seen; your incantation is brilliant, your wand is steady, your wand movements are OK but your eye-line and speed is stare at your opponents wand and take on average three seconds to fire your spell. In a duel or battle you would be defeated easily. If you're staring at an opponents wand you not only give away your intention but also have reduced your reaction speed. If an opponent saw you staring they could perform a quick fire spell or simply switch wand hands at the last second. Do not stare. In this session we can practice you speeding up your spells and increase your reaction speed."

Hermione and Cho stood ten feet apart now. Cho prepared herself before calling "Expelliarmus".

As if proving her point, Hermione tossed her wand up at the last second and caught it in her left hand. This meant the spell had no affect.

" Look it's too hard. I'm not comfortable with the spell yet to perform it quickly." Cho told her.

" Don't focus on my wand. Look at my wrist and arm. And take one glance and say it. As soon as you you have done that, fire away."

Cho nodded. "Expelliarmus".

Hermione once again switched hands but this time she almost dropped it as she felt the vibration of the spell. " Good, better."

Soon they were in a rhythm and they were talking in-between spells.

"So what was that present about? Expelliarmus." Cho asked.

" Someone had to get you something. " Hermione replied, catching her wand.

"But that was a thoughtful gift, why go through all the trouble? Expelliarmus."

"Just a reminder from me to you.".

Cho smiled. " Where did you find out when my birthday was? Expelliarmus. "

"A lucky guess."

"One in three hundred and sixty five chance of being right. It has to be more than a lucky guess. Expelliarmus."

"I'm a lucky girl." This time she was disarmed and Cho whooped in success.

"You are definitely getting better" Hermione said.

"Is that it? Can we move on now?" Cho asked.

"Disarm me five times first"

Cho rolled her eyes and stomped her feet. "Why?"

"Practice. Make it better. Just coz you can paint it doesn't make you Leonardo Da Vinci."

"Errrr. Fine. Expelliarmus."

Hermione caught her wand again.

"So Harry still likes me huh? Expelliarmus."

Hermione was so surprised by the comment she got disarmed a second time. "Yeah why?"

" He seems like a nice guy." Cho answered.

"He is."

"Like me, except he is shy instead of secluded."

"In that aspect you are yes" Hermione said getting increasingly worried.

"Not at all an ugly guy, quite handsome."

"Where are you going with this?!" Hermione said slightly higher than usual.

"Well, I see the longing in his eyes every time we meet, ever since the beginning of last year. He has liked me unconditionally for a year and a half. I reckon if anyone could care for me as much as Cedric did, it would be Harry. As you're his best friend and you claim to care for me also, you could help us both." Cho said thoughtfully.

Hermione just gaped. The session was long forgotten.

"Cho. Be. More. Specific." Hermione said unable to hide her emotion. "Are you telling me that you want to date Harry, and you want me to help you do it?"

Cho was clearly thinking too hard about the possibility of dating Harry that she hadn't noticed Hermione's change in demeanour. Until now.

The way Hermione spoke scared the raven-haired girl. She couldn't even tell if the emotion that accompanied the words were anger, excitement, sadness or fear. She never expected a reaction quite like this.

"Hermione?" Cho said hesitantly. "What's the matter?"

That did it.

"The matter! What's the MATTER! I will tell you what's the MATTER! You make me SICK!" Hermione shouted furiously. "You have barely spoken...two words...to Harry, ALL BLOODY YEAR! THE THINGS YOU KNOW ABOUT HARRY ARE SO SCARCE THAT YOU COULD WRITE IT ON A FINGERNAIL AND STILL HAVE SPACE! YOU WOULD MUCH RATHER TRUST SOMEONE BASICALLY A STRANGER TO YOU THAN A PERSON MOVING MOUNTAINS JUST TO BE YOUR FRIEND! YOUR PRIORITIES ARE SO MESSED UP IT'S UNBELIEVABLE! YOU GO AROUND THE SCHOOL DAY IN AND DAY OUT MOANING THAT NO ONE CARES FOR YOU! WELL NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU CHO! YOU ACT LIKE YOU'RE THE VICTIM OF THE EARTH WHEN IN ACTUAL FACT YOU ARE MUCH BETTER OFF THAN MANY PEOPLE I CAN MENTION...ONE OF THEM HAPPENS TO BE MY BEST FRIEND, ANOTHER HAPPENS TO BE ME!"

Cho had a look of utter fear on her face at the volcanic eruption pouring harshly out of the brunette's mouth. She literally swore Hermione had grown intimidatingly tall, or she had gotten pathetically small. Cho just took the outburst all the way up to the part where Hermione was basically calling her a drama queen. The raging inferno that Hermione caused had now set Cho's fire alight.

"How dare you. You think I go around over exaggerating? You think I'm attention seeking? No, I don't know much about Harry but neither do you know sod all about me! You have no idea what I have been through in my life!" Cho blasted back.

"No, I don't. Coz you don't trust anyone. If anyone is to trust it's me. I have helped Harry with anger issues, depression, isolation, all to do with a bad man trying to kill him and fighting to be ordinary instead of front page news of the Prophet. I have had to be helped too. I was a loner in my first year all because I thought I was better than anyone else which naturally left me friendless until Harry, and Ron of course, literally jumped into my life and saved me. And every year since I have been taken apart by hurtful and degrading insults about the purity of my blood that where I come from is classed as discrimination. I'm not claiming to be as worse off as you but at least I'm strong enough to overlook my problems and help other people's."

Cho scowled. "Are you calling me weak?!"

Hermione crossed her arms defiantly and said " What if I am?"

Cho gripped her wand tightly and shook with rage as she positioned herself in an attacking stance. " Pick. Up. Your. Wand."

Hermione bent down, never taking her eyes off of Cho, and picked up her wand. Upon her return to standing upright she instinctively fell into a defensive stance. The session had been restarted and now the room was crackling with energy as the two girls bowed to each other to start their duel.

As soon as they were ready Hermione shot a disarming jinx, Cho slid out of the way. Cho sent a stunning spell but was met by a protego from Hermione.

"Rictusempra!" Hermione called. Cho ducked this time.

"Everte statum". Cho bent down and rolled forward, missing the push-back spell.

" Petrificus Totalus". Cho again maneuvered around it. But she wasn't firing back anymore. She was waiting. 'Waiting for what?' Hermione thought.

Hermione upped the tempo, sending sequences of strong duelling spells in rapid succession. But Cho stood defiant and Hermione was getting irritated. 'Why won't she fight back?'.

Whilst Hermione was gradually getting agitated at Cho's lack of offence, she missed the fact that because she kept attacking Cho she making herself more open. Hermione Granger was getting so emotive in her spellcasting that she lost her concentration.

When Hermione decided to use a Desmaius spell, Cho knew she had her. Cho blocked the spell and sent it rebounding back at Hermione who just about dodged it but left herself off balance. Cho then casted Obscuro which hit it's mark, Hermione flailed about temporarily blind. This left her wand a free target to be disarmed and Cho didn't disappoint. Hermione just knelt on the ground, gradually getting her sight back. Cho approached her, wand still drawn. "Get up."

Hermione did as she was told.

"I may not have been through dark and nightmarish things like Harry, or put through unforgivable amounts of bullying like you. But I will tell you something. At least you both were loved."

Cho pocketed her wand and turned to leave but Hermione stopped her. "I have something to say too" Hermione told her.

Cho nodded but again was slightly apprehensive as Hermione moved her face to within inches of Cho's. She could smell Cho's scent. That flower that keeps making an appearance. A beautiful smell nonetheless. Hermione breathed in the Hydrangea scent as her eyes fluttered close, sealing her intentions. She was unaware that Cho had done the same. They both began to lean forward excruciatingly slowly. Lips were about to meet as fate had planned it...until a knock was heard at the door. Fate is a tease.

Hermione wished the person to move on but the moment had passed and Cho had long moved out of reach. The knock came again. "Who is it?" Hermione said, irritation disguised as politeness.

"Hey it's me. Just wanted to make sure you both were alright." Came Harry's voice from the other side. ' I bet you did' Hermione thought.

"It's OK Harry we were finished anyway" Cho replied.

Harry entered the room as Cho left it. They both smiled shyly at each other, causing Hermione to growl silently.

Cho was now gone and so was the opportunity to kiss and then confess to her 'Someone loves you right now'.

AN: HEY EVERYONE. hope you all had a great Christmas and Happy new year of course.

The spells in this chapter are legitimate spells. They are all canon. I have not the time nor energy to latinise my own spells.

Yes. I intentionally let Hermione forget about Rosalina at the end because I want Hermione to think the worst before she gets what she wants. So no, she forgot that if Cho wanted to date Harry she would have to dump Rosalina to do that and also forgot when Cho said that no one loves her. So we know that Cho isn't dating Rosalina but Hermione doesn't know that, unless she remembers hint hint.

I was gonna say more but the chapter is long as it is so I will let you be on your way.

TBC...friends with Cho,FINALLY.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7- friends with Cho, FINALLY.

Hermione sat up from the confines of her bedding. She looked around her to remind herself of where she was. 'Of course I would be in bed, where would I be sleeping otherwise'.

Hermione's dream was her regular routine dream with the same beautiful girl as the leading lady. This one however was not a dream to be grateful for. It was the same setting, same situation and every word spoken was a repetition of every other time Hermione had this dream, up until Cho confessed her love to Hermione. Instead Cho confessed to being in a relationship with Harry. She asked Hermione to let her go. Hermione tried to beg for Cho to reconsider but she just removed herself from Hermione's embrace and disappeared back into the water. So Hermione was awfully glad when she woke up.

The dream was symbolising an internal battle Hermione was having with herself. On one hand Hermione was relieved that Cho was single. After yesterday, all Hermione's doubts about Cho already being in a relationship with Rosalina were proven right. Cho openly debating whether she should date Harry kind of killed them. But Rosalina was closer to Cho than Hermione was . She would have to ask Cho...IF she agrees to friendship that is.

Anyway, the side of Hermione still very much loyal to Harry felt wrong for doing all this. The guilt tally just grew and grew everyday. Just coz her gut thought that Cho didn't really fancy Harry well enough to give him the love he more than needs in bleak times like this and just coz her heart thinks Cho would want her the way Hermione wanted Cho, doesn't mean her brain couldn't think rationally. No one deserved to feel love more than Harry. Voldemorts weakness is love. His mother's love saved him in his first year at Hogwarts. All the love that was taken away from him and all the happy memories he could have had if his life had been fairer, will inevitably all help him through this by someone returning the love to him. Hermione and Ron had started it off in first year. Followed by Remus and Sirius in third year. Cho really, rightfully should be the next. Hermione's actions here could not only endanger the friendship she had with Harry but also endanger the morale on their side of the war. If Hermione chose Cho would Harry still defeat Voldemort come the time they met, face to face, for the final time?

Hermione's brain was outnumbered though. Her gut really believed Cho didn't actually want Harry at all and her heart, well that is the stubbornest of all body organs.

Her emotions could wait though, because Hermione was hellbent on decoding what Cho meant when she said "at least you've been loved". Cho is seriously saying nobody loves her even though she draws nice pictures of her very happy family. Rosalina seems mightily close to Cho, and Cho thinks she doesn't love her either. And Hermione, what has she been doing since term began? How is it possible that Cho can say she was never loved? But the way Cho said it told Hermione there was more to Cho's background than Hermione thought. Obelix hinted at it. Rosalina avoided it in her letter. And Cho very nearly told Hermione. And Hermione saw a pattern. They all either hinted or outright said that Cho needs love. If Cho hasn't been loved, it must have something to do with her parents.

But why?

" Hey Mione, come join us" Ron said laying...well lazily, on the settee in front of the fire. Harry was sitting comfortably in one of the two armchairs flanking the settee.

Hermione, still thinking deeply, trudged towards the empty armchair and sat in it.

Ron restarted the conversation him and Harry had been having before Hermione entered the room. "So, how do you think she feels?"

"Haven't a clue mate. Have barely spoken to her." Harry replied.

"But it's obvious you both like each other. Isn't that right Mione?"

"Hm" Hermione replied coming out of her reverie at the sound of her name. "Oh yeah, that's right" she answered.

"See, just tell her how you feel." Ron continued.

"How? She is around her friends who probably think I'm a prat. And when she is alone I chicken out." Harry grumbled.

"Don't chicken out then"

"That is easier said than done."

"Things are much simpler than you're making them out to be mate. Anyway, everyone has noticed by now that she is noticeably quiet this year. We are basically going on what Hermione has said but what do you think is wrong with her?"

Harry looked at Hermione amusedly, expecting a tongue lashing at Ron for contradicting what she told them. But was shocked when Hermione never even stirred. He was going to ask her what was wrong but Ron undercut him. "Well?"

"I think the death of Cedric is what is bugging her. Cho really liked him didn't she, last year. She went to the Yule ball with him, was his possession that was taken away for the second task. They might have actually been in a relationship. And his death might have hurt her worse than we think. Who knows maybe I can outshine Cedric in comparison?"

"WHAT!?" Hermione exploded scaring Ron out of his skin. She had snapped out of it again at the sound of Cho's name being mentioned and caught the rest of what Harry was saying. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"

Ron cowered a bit at Hermione's wrath but Harry, fuelled by the aggression being aimed at him, reiterated. "I said, maybe I can outshine Cedric".

Hermione was a verbal attacker. She shouted and hollered and screamed at people. But she never hit them, except for Malfoy. She especially never hit any of her two best friends. Until now.

Hermione took two quick steps out of her chair and planted a stinging slap across Harry's cheek. She would hate herself and chastise herself later for overstepping the mark but she could not feel guilty or remorseful right now, she was too angry.

" You despicable, insensitive bastard. You seriously need to apologize for that statement because right now Malfoy is better in my eyes. If that is the soul reason you want to be with her then consider me and you done. You don't care for Cho at all. You care about yourself. And if you think that I will let you come anywhere near Cho after saying that you're dead wrong."

Then Hermione stormed out the room without even a glance behind her, leaving a simmering but chastised Harry and a gobsmacked Ron to work out what just happened.

Hermione sat on a boulder overlooking the lake. Her head was in her lap and her shoulders were shaking indicating that she was crying. She never thought Harry would ever put himself before another person's needs. She never thought that she would feel so enraged at Harry that she would physically slap him. Everything was going wrong this year.

And she hated Cho for it.

And loved her all the same.

She rested her chin on her knees and let the tears fall whilst she watched the snow fall around her and watched the wildlife in general. She saw two squirrels sharing a chestnut, wild rabbits jumping and playing. Why couldn't human love be simple like the animals without losing the foreverness? To meet someone and fall for them, lead happy lives, have a family and die happy? Like nature intended? Heartache is not a good advertisement for love.

"Now I'm no human but if I was looking at a sight like that, sadness is the last emotion I would be feeling." Said the deep female voice of Obelix indicating towards the rabbits and squirrels that were jumping, hopping and running without a care in the world.

"Hi Obelix." Hermione said tearfully.

Obelix was perched on a branch of a tree, peering down at Hermione. The look that Obelix gave Hermione was a look no other owl could give, (or the best you are gonna get from a creature without eyebrows) sympathy.

"Now you see firsthand how difficult loving Cho Chang is." Obelix said.

"You can say that again" Hermione said humourless.

"How can a girl change so much in personality in a month?" Hermione said.

"In one word." Obelix answered. "Cedric".

" She must've really loved him".

"It was more than love, it was happiness. It was trust, it was reliability, it was reassurance." Obelix told her now perched on Hermione's shoulder.

"Obelix?" Hermione asked. "Tell me more about Cho. She told me she had never been loved. If she loved Cedric that much why is she saying that?"

"Because even though she loved Cedric, she thought that him not coming back from that graveyard alive was a sign that he didn't love her."

"But that is absurd. Cedric probably had thought of all the possibilities in that maze. How can you prepare yourself for something you thought was never a possibility?"

"I don't know" Obelix answered.

Hermione frowned before saying "you're lying. You know exactly why Cho thought that way".

Obelix sighed. "It isn't my place to say. I can't tell you the whole truth but I will tell you this. Cho seems different this year only because everyone thinks last years Cho is the norm. But in actual fact, Cho has always been this way, except for last year."

Before Hermione could interrupt, Obelix continued."Cho's history has made her who she is today, and losing Cedric sent her back to that state. Cedric was and apparently still is the only person to convince Cho she is loved and because she lost him, it is going to be a heck of a lot harder to convince her a second time."

"Obelix? Will you help me?" Hermione pleaded. "I love Cho but I will settle for friendship if it meant we could get last year's Cho back."

"Hermione?"Obelix said " I'm one step ahead of you". Smugness etched into her expression.

Hermione, for the first time that morning, smiled a true smile.

Cho was walking towards the Ravenclaw common room when she was pulled sharply into an abandoned classroom. She spun around to see Hermione shutting and locking the door.

"What are you playing at?" Cho spat as Hermione turned back around.

"Don't be rude Cho. Hermione is only here to help." Obelix said from a desk closest to the door.

Cho looked between her and Hermione. "So what you two are best buddies now?"

"Correction. Us THREE are best buddies now, Hydrangea" came a sweet voice from behind them, Italian accent instantly recognisable.

"Rosie, what are you doing here?" Cho said. Rosalina was sitting on another desk with a radiant smile on her face. She was the strawberry redheaded version of Luna without the eccentricities.

"As lovely as it is to see you Cho, I am here for the both of you." Rosalina told her.

"You are not leaving this classroom until you accept Hermione's friendship." Obelix told her, putting on her authority voice.

"You're forcing me to be someone's friend. Isn't that contradictory to actually being a friend?" Cho argued.

"It's only you with the trust issues. Everyone else here was convinced in seconds of how genuine I am." Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Well it's lucky I'm stubborn then?"

"Which is why you aren't leaving until you two are friends." Obelix repeated.

"Fine, I'm Hermione's friend. Can I go now?"

"Yeah, sure...wait, before you go." Rosalina got out her wand and quickly tied Cho's hand to Hermione's. Cho wasn't the only one surprised about this. " Wait, this wasn't part of the plan." Hermione said warily.

"Oh it was". Obelix told her. "It was the part we may have neglected to tell you."

Hermione was about to respond but Cho cut across her. "I thought you wanted to be my friend? Why are you bothered about this so much?"

"I'm not bothered. I am just surprised and confused." Hermione argued.

"You two girls will remain tied together for the rest of the evening. The charm on the rope will wear off when the clock strikes nine. That is five hours away. In that five hours you will go about your business and if one person wants to do something the other must do it too, but you will take it in turns so one person requests something then when it's done the other has her turn." Rosalina informed them.

"OK, that's fine. So we're staying in here for five hours, tied up, until we accept... Or rather Cho accepts my friendship". Hermione reiterated whilst giving Cho a meaningful glance at the end. Cho was just childishly sulking, rather adorably in Hermione's eyes despite the irritation she felt towards Cho at the precise moment.

" Not exactly". Obelix said "yes, you will accept Hermione's friendship Cho...willingly I should add but I doubt Hermione would ever even attempt to force you. If you don't the charm will last permanently. But Hermione, you will not stay here at all. Instead you will leave this room and stay tied together throughout dinner and all evening."

"IN FRONT OF EVERYONE. ARE YOU MAD?" Cho yelled disbelievingly.

"I didn't want to put it that way but yes, in front of everyone." Obelix answered.

"But what about the others? How are we gonna explain this? Especially to the teachers?" Hermione asked.

"That dear, is totally up to you." Rosalina replied.

"Not so keen now eh? It's fine, I won't embarrass you in front of your friends Hermione" Cho told her sarcastically.

"You would never embarrass me?" Hermione replied.

"Yeah, how are you so sure?"

"Because you want to get out off this just like me. The only way to do that is agree to be my friend properly and mean it. Embarrassing me is the least of your worries. Besides, you apparently have no other friends, you're not mean enough to try and lose me mine."

Cho didn't drop her unhappy face but the fact that she didn't reply and looked somewhat sheepish told Hermione that she was right and Cho was impressed by how Hermione knew that.

"Right girls." Rosalina exclaimed, clapping her hands together "I have to leave now. After all I am not a student. But Obelix, the referee for this, will answer your questions and check up on you. See ya"

They all bid Rosie farewell as she unlocked and stepped out the door.

"Right girls. Good luck and try to get along. Your time starts now."

"Can you pass the mayonnaise please?" Hermione asked Cho.

Cho gave a dirty look and slammed the jar down on the table in front of Hermione.

"Watch it" Hermione shot as she spooned a bit of the milky sauce onto her plate.

"Why couldn't we sit at the Ravenclaw table?"

"Coz I'm not in Ravenclaw"

"I'm not in Gryffindor"

"But I am. And it's my request so deal with it."

"But this is so awkward".

" So will it be for me if I sat at the Ravenclaw table"

"I hate this."

"Just agree to be my friend and we can forget about all this."

"Yeah right. You know just as well as me that we will not forget this."

"What I meant was if you agree to be friends with me you could sit at the Ravenclaw table."

"You heard what Obelix said. Even if I do agree we will still be tied up like this until nine."

"Well then stop complaining. Let's just get through this."

Not long after they were joined by Harry and Ron. "Ermm...Cho! Wh-wh-what are you doing here? Not th-that you're not welcome but it's unusual... No, not unusual, you're not unusual but you..."

"Harry calm down and breathe" Cho told him sweetly. Ron just sat and ate like the norm and Hermione was concentrating hard on eating her food too, to stop herself from saying something venomous at Harry. All the while she and Cho hid their attached wrists underneath the table.

"Harry is asking why you are sat here." Ron clarified.

"Just getting to know...my...friend more"

Hermione knew Cho was being insincere.

"You're friends with Hermione now?" Ron continued.

"Yes, she is." Hermione told him. 'Or she will by nine o'clock'.

Luckily for Hermione, and therefore luckily for Harry, Cho could eat the rest of her dinner without Harry's attraction to her becoming obvious. But at one point Cho's face turned from forcibly happy to genuine sadness. And it had nothing to do with the tied up situation. Hermione knew this because she had thought about it too.

Not a single Ravenclaw student noticed where Cho was sat.

"No. Freaking. Way." Hermione said warningly.

"Yes way. It's my request now and I'm gonna fly." Cho replied.

"I can't fly a broom. And we can't fly side by side. So it's impossible therefore you have to request something else." Hermione stated, clearly thinking she had found a loop hole in this situation.

"We'll have to share a broom. But I'm getting my flight. End of." Cho said.

Cho took the broom out the cupboard and showed it to a shaking Hermione.

"You're not scared are you?" Cho said teasingly.

"Yes I'm bloody scared. I'm terrified of flying. I rode on the back of a Hippogriff in my third year with Harry. Scariest experience of my life."

"Then it's lucky I'm a good flyer". Cho said with a grin.

" A good flyer, yes. Safe flyer, no." Hermione returned as she nervously picked at her already clipped fingernails.

"Look, I will go behind you so that if you fall, which you won't, I will be able to stop you."

"But won't that make it difficult for you to fly? Can't you just go slower than usual?" Hermione asked.

"I was intending to go slower. And as far as difficult goes I think me being a excellent seeker for Ravenclaw will give you the assurance that you being on this broomstick will, in no way, be as difficult as it is to get you to leave me alone." Cho told her. Her voice, instead of being as harsh as the choice of words sounded, had fondness reverberating through it. This alone was enough to convince Hermione.

"OK. But be gentle."

Then she carefully stepped in front of Cho and Cho, with a bit of difficulty due to their predicament, placed the broomstick underneath them both.

"Wait, we aren't even at the Quidditch pitch. Why are we flying now?" Hermione asked.

"Coz we're not going to the Quidditch pitch." Cho answered. "Now, kick up with your feet when I say."

Hermione readied herself and closed her eyes.

"Ready?" Hermione just nodded in fear. "Go"

Hermione yelped as the ground seemed to disappear beneath them and they both rose up. Hermione cried out "hold me right fucking now". She didn't care if Cho took that they way she wanted because she was too scared to. Cho's arm that was not tied shot out from under Hermione's armpits and clutched the broom exactly where Hermione's hands clutched the wood as if her life depended on it. Hermione rested her head back onto Cho's shoulder and suddenly they weren't just hovering.

" ChoChoChoChoChoCho" Hermione begged. "Not too fast, not too fast."

"Hermione if we don't go faster we won't get any higher, the added weight doesn't help. Trust me to get us up there then I will go slower."

They gradually sped up and rose higher.

"Right Hermione, lean right back into me. Don't worry about me falling off just worry about you."

Hermione did what she was told pushed far back on Cho who also leant back a bit. Hermione grabbed Cho's shirt at the collar with her free hand and just held it tight. They accelerated and Hermione just held onto Cho almost fainting in fear.

Suddenly the broom stopped rising and the broom steadied. " Right the scary bit is over now". Cho informed her.

Hermione opened her eyes. "Wow, we are pretty high up"

"Think about it this way; the higher we are the less we crash into"

"I don't know why that is so reassuring but in actual fact...it is."

Cho went to loosen her grip on the broom and therefore loosen the grip on Hermione's waist. Hermione realised this and before she could stop herself, she blurted "please don't".

"Don't what?"

"Let me go."

"What?"

Hermione tried to play it off. "You know I don't trust myself from falling off. I just want to make sure I'm perfectly safe."

Cho was silent for a while and Hermione was worried that she saw through the lie, then she felt the familiar feel of Cho's arms around her and she calmed instantly. Cho's hands lingered on Hermione's soft skin that was exposed after the wind had blown her top untucked.

The touch was electric. Hermione's skin was on fire and Hermione closed her eyes again, this time in satisfaction.

Then as quickly as it happened, Cho's fingers went back to the handle. "Is that better?"

Hermione felt like saying 'hell yes' but stuck with a nod.

They soared over the Forbidden Forest and the lake, doing slow circuits.

"You don't seem so scared now?" Cho asked.

"No, well I'm scared of flying, not heights. Mainly the taking off and landing. But once I'm up here it doesn't bother me too much. But that is no invitation for you to go crazy." Hermione said.

Cho laughed "spoilsport."

"You know, I don't think you or anyone will find somewhere so remarkably beautiful than Hogwarts." Hermione commentated as she looked at the steeples and battlements of the castle that stuck to the cliff as if it was sown deep into the earth itself. The bright orange glows of light, similar to the stars at night in the countryside, covering any nook and cranny of the castle. It was...well, magical.

"You know what, that is the first thing I think we both have in common." Cho said.

Hermione was conflicted for a moment but the urge to say it won out in the end. "That is so far from the truth that I can't even contemplate how far. Cho, I have no doubt that if we met when Cedric was alive and in your life, we would have been friends instantly".

Expecting a tongue-lashing, Hermione just waited. But instead was met with just silence. Hermione was about to turn around to check why Cho was being so quiet when the girl finally spoke. "Do you really think so?"

Hermione was surprised at the curious question instead of a furious slap across the face. The surprise was evident in Hermione's voice. "Errr, yes. Truly I do."

Cho was silent again for a few moments, Hermione knew she was just thinking deeply again.

"You wouldn't have used me as a stepping stone, to better yourself in class?"

"I'm Hermione Granger; the bookworm know-it-all that some say has a seat reserved specifically for her in the library. That is how I better myself."

"You wouldn't have used me to steal my reputation?"

"If anything I want to get rid of my reputation. The Mudblood and Golden Girl reputation."

"You wouldn't have..."

"CHO." Hermione snapped "Shut up. I would not have manipulated, used, abused or hurt you in any way shape or form. Are you really that blind that you think I'm one of 'them'?"

Cho sighed. "I guess I am. I hate trust. Trust is a dumb fool. Always picks the wrong people."

"I think it did well to get you Cedric, Obelix and Rosalina. So what that your parents let you down? You are better than them."

Then Cho scowled."Who told you about my parents?"

"No one told me. I worked it out. I don't know what they did but whatever it was I knew it had to be the epicentre of how you are too scared to trust. You also need to stop blaming Cedric for his own death; I'm sure he didn't want himself to die either. If he knew what was coming after grabbing that cup and that it would do this to you he probably would've let Harry get it. He died not because he chose to. He was killed. He broke no promises if the fault wasn't his. Can we land please? I don't want this conversation to be held up here."

Cho did not answer verbally but she did dip the broom and leaned forward onto Hermione's back. Despite the serious mood Hermione still felt pleasure at feeling Cho's breasts on her back. And did she hear a quiet moan as Hermione placed a hand on Cho's thigh to steady herself?

Soon they were met with the ground again and Hermione had the wherofall to keep her eyes shut, hoping for a soft landing. She got one. With nothing but a judder and a flop as feet met the ground, they both dismounted with difficulty.

"Right, we should get inside." Cho said, trying to distract Hermione from the reason why they landed in the first place. Hermione was having none of it.

"Oh no you don't" she said, yanking Cho back with the rope. "We haven't finished our chat."

Cho stood still and refused to look up.

"Cho, look at me."

She did.

"You need to trust me. I know you are scared to trust again but the only way you will be convinced that I am to be trusted is to let me prove it. You need a friend right now Cho. No boyfriends. No lovers. No classmates. Just a simple, trustworthy friend. Please let that be me."

Cho had a vacant look on her face. Then something very surprising came out her mouth.

"Did you notice that no one from Ravenclaw even realised I was sat somewhere else earlier?"

Hermione was about to groan in frustration and demand that Cho stay on topic but Cho spoke on.

"I did. I'm not surprised really. They never notice me anyway. Not one person from Ravenclaw has even asked me how I'm coping at all this year. I'm a ghost to them. I'm not even noticeable enough to be bullied. These are people that were swarming over me and Cedric last year. Of course, now I know it was only Cedric they cared about. The only thing they wanted from me was a boost in their education disguised as companionship. How could I have been so foolish to think they were trustworthy when for three years they probably never even knew my name? When I lost Cedric they turned on me. Backstabbed me. And it was my bloody damn fault. And Cedric's. Yeah, Cedric never asked to die, He may have loved me. I may have trusted him. But I wish I never met him in a way. I would never have made the mistakes I did. He got me trusting people for the first real time and he only made things that much worse when he left me whilst my life I had built up crumbled down again. I loved him, he loved me. But I hate him for what he left behind for me." Cho had long ago sat down with a silently listening Hermione and started picking at the grass.

"I vowed I would never trust again. And if that meant to never fall in love again then so be it. But even that didn't work. I might have looked and sounded like I didn't trust you Hermione but the truth is, I always did. The day you entered that compartment I trusted you instantly. I would have ignored you if I didn't. And everytime we met after that it just grew and grew. I don't truly know why I hid it from you to be honest. It was a combination of things. But mainly I was scared to tell you because..."

"...you didn't want to trust again." Hermione finished.

Cho nodded. "But are you still scared now?" Hermione asked.

"Petrified. The more I trust you the more scared I get."

"Cho I had no idea." Hermione tried to justify herself.

"Hey, I can't really blame you for being so persistent. I might never have been able to tell you if you didn't."

"What would you have done if I didn't?"

"Probably given up; that would prove I was right not to trust you. But of course, I would have been missing out."

Hermione wiped a tear away and smiled goofily at Cho before reaching forward and hugging her. A hug that Cho returned without hesitation.

"Hermione, I would love it if I could be your friend."

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

An; wow, a lot was revealed in this chap, quite a lot to get your head around. I could've made this two chapters instead of one but I sketched it this way and I'm not going to differ to far from it. Also if you notice parts where Hermione and Cho's wrists AREN'T tied together just accept my apologies and imagine that they were.

I don't want people to think I'm bashing Ravenclaw a lot. I have also badmouthed Ravenclaw in Converting the Bookworm. They are only badmouthed to suit my storyline; its nothing personal to Ravenclaw at all. If I was a Hogwarts student I would want to be a Ravenclaw. I think I would actually if Hogwarts existed.

Heartbreak for Hermione next as Harry kisses Cho. Blame JK for that, I'm sticking to Canon. Also it will make it feel even better when Hermione and Cho do get together.

Read, review,favourite,follow.

TBC...Cho and Harry.


	8. Chapter 8

An; hullo. Do you know what pairing I'm starting to fall in love with? (Not literally of course) Pansy and Hermione. Its like a Dramione but femslash. Bitter enemies realise their hatred for one another is actually attraction. And I have an idea for a FanFiction based on them too; it was inspired by a Dramione FanFiction I read in the past. Basically a slight turning of events happens and Hermione and Pansy are stranded on a desert island, they have to get along to survive but me and you both know they will get to know each other in more ways than one. He he.

Why do I have these ideas right in the middle of a story I'm currently working on? This exact thing happened with CTB and now I have no inspiration to finish it. Not this time. I'm finishing this if it kills me.

Chapter 8-Harry and Cho

The following day for Hermione started well but ended catastrophically. Hermione was naive to think that Harry wouldn't have a say in this love triangle. No, it can't even be called just a say. More like a one move wipeout. It reminded Hermione of a game of wizards chess with Ron. You could take away dozens of Ron's own pieces but Ron only needed one move and you are checkmate.

And it was definitely checkmate here.

A checkmate Harry didn't deserve. That may just be Hermione's bitterness but it was justified. Hermione did the hard work. She dug Cho out of her shell and opened up her heart, only for Harry to take the vacancy.

In general terms Harry deserved it. Harry deserves as much love as he can get and in terms of this war looming despite, what the ministry says, a hopeful Harry means a wary Voldemort. But why should a hopeful Harry mean a miserable Hermione.

What makes it worse, Hermione is in love with Cho. Harry, in Hermione's mind, isn't. He may be crushing on her but he didn't have feelings for her. If he did, it didn't come close to how deep hers went. But Hermione was too patient and Harry was very opportunistic.

Now Hermione had to feel heartache every time she saw the couple, every time she heard someone mention their names in the same sentence. Every time they kissed.

This is how it all happened...

_Earlier that day_

Cho dismounted her broom and trudged off the pitch victorious. Harry was the only Gryffindor not disappointed about the loss. Instead a look of admiration was plastered on his face, a look Hermione wanted to rub off.

"Oh great. Our chances of winning the Quidditch cup this year just got a little less likely ." Ginny moaned.

Hermione smiled sympathetically. "Cheer up. If it was too easy it would be boring. A little competition just spices it up."

"It's alright for you because you are friends with both seekers. Either way you win."

"I don't win either way. I'm not bothered who wins because I'm not a fanatic. And it's a team sport. Which means each player must do there job." Hermione pointed out.

"Say what you like, but you can't hide from the fact that you miss Granger are a two-team girl." Ginny accused lightheartedly.

"Well, I am no master of the game but I do believe that snitch race was the best I have seen, by both seekers." Hermione commented.

"I hate to agree but it was pretty awesome. The way Cho could distract Harry by dummy diving and how Harry could unsettle Cho by spiralling round her. Yeah, it was epic."

Hermione checked her watch. "I might congratulate and commiserate them. They should be back out in a few minutes. Are you coming with?"

"Nah. I'm gonna go back to the common room and wallow in my despair" she joked. "You say hi to them both from me"

"Will do" Hermione replied whilst vacating her seat.

Five minutes afterwards found Hermione waiting outside both changing rooms, looking like a spare at a wedding. It was probably a lame sight to see but fortunately not too many people were around to see the awkwardness.

Ever since Cho agreed to be Hermione's friend, Hermione was treading on eggshells to make sure she didn't inadvertently put Cho back to the way she was a day ago. One wrong move, one slip-up and it was back to square one and it would be impossible to redeem herself. But so far there was no clear cut sign of that happening and hopefully it wouldn't ever happen.

Cho was the first to appear, she was sweating profusely and was in the need for a shower and quick, but her beauty shone through her smile that stretched from cheek to cheek. She spotted Hermione and smiled even wider if possible.

"Hey stranger. Did you like my...performance?" Cho asked.

Cho's giddiness was contagious and made Hermione smile wide too.

"No, I might have missed it. why, what happened?" Hermione teased.

"The best seeker in the world wins again as usual."

"Careful. If your head gets any bigger I may have to levitate it back up to the castle."

"I don't think a giant head would suit me."

"Actually continue boasting. A big head may be an improvement."

"Watch it Granger. Unless you want to LOSE your head"

"What are you two laughing about?" Harry said as he showed up.

"Cho's big head." Hermione joked. That received a playful slap to the arm from Cho.

"Cho...that was a err...good...uhm, chase out there" Harry mumbled shyly.

"Thanks Harry. You weren't too bad yourself."

Harry just flushed and scratched the back of his neck.

"Right, shall we walk back then" Hermione offered. Otherwise she would have kicked something hard, Harry's leg being the most likely target.

"Yeah sure".

Hermione and Cho made small talk whilst Harry just listened, mumbling a 'yes' or a 'no' when an answer was required. Hermione might have thought it adorable if she weren't interested in the same girl as him. So naturally it irritated Hermione. In fact anything Harry said or did, even if it wasn't about Cho, irritated her. This situation was systematically destroying Hermione's friendship with the boy. It seemed the closer she got to Cho the further away from Harry she got.

After Cho departed for her own common room, giving Hermione a hug and Harry a kiss on the cheek (it almost made the brunette growl), Hermione was about to walk off when Harry grabbed her wrist lightly.

" Hermione, I'm gonna do it." Harry told her.

"Do what?" Hermione queried.

"Kiss her."

"Kiss who?

"Seriously, who do you think?"

"Cho".

" Yes Cho."

Hermione touched his arm gently. "Harry you say that now but we both know you will lose your nerve. No offense."

"None taken, but this time your wrong." Harry replied

Before Hermione could interrupt he continued."She is acting so warm towards me. Granted, you had something to do with that but I'm positive she feels the same way."

"Harry, don't jump the gun. She is warm with a lot of people. Don't get confused between fondness and attraction."

"Why are you saying all this? I thought you were supporting me?" Harry said sadly.

"That's exactly what I'm doing. Do you think I want to see your heart broken? I'm saying this because that very well might happen." Hermione replied compassionately.

"MIGHT happen, I will never know anyway if I don't try, right? Trust me with this Hermione." Harry urged.

Hermione wanted to argue with him more but she couldn't. She didn't want to see his heart-broken but she didn't want to see hers broken either. This was the most significant part of this 'competition'. Not to mention the most dangerous in reference to their friendship, the most complicated and the most defining moment.

Hermione could have been selfish for the first time in their friendship. Ron wasn't alone in his resentment of Harry's fame. Hermione had moments where she wished she could at least share Harry's spotlight, whether he wanted it anyway or not. OK, Hermione bested Harry academically bar Defense but all that does is make Hermione the know-it-all bookworm. Not a very potentious nickname is it. Last year at the Yule Ball Hermione for the first time got the spotlight. She outshone everyone at that dance. Heads were getting strained to the point of snapping to see her dancing elegantly and gracefully with a charming and handsome celebrity. Eyes of boys and girls, men and women, students and teachers, Hogwarts or otherwise were giving Hermione attention that she most likely will never get again. Some were envious. Some were shocked. Some were breath taken. And some, including her male redheaded friend, were just outright jealous. Jealous of her.

Envious of her. Shocked by her. Breath stolen by her.

Hermione Granger.

Hermione was modest at heart, she even remembered at the time thinking that Cho looked far better than she did, but Hermione felt as beautiful as she looked.

Hermione would kill to have that again. She felt larger than life. Centre of everyone's universe. Unfortunately, she was forgotten about in a week and her evening was ruined anyway, but she would never forget the looks she got. From her friends and even from her enemies. Pansy bleeding Parkinson forgot to give Hermione her trademark glare when she saw her. Her jaw going the way of gravity and looking like Slytherin's Basilisk had struck again from the dead.

Ever since, Hermione vowed if she ever got a chance to stun everyone again or just one person who really mattered, she would take it.

Her next opportunity to do exactly that was about to crumble if she let Harry win, to collect the ultimate prize of Cho's heart.

She couldn't do that, could she?

Hermione loved Cho but she had to play matchmaker with a girl who admitted she may go out with Harry if he asked her. Even though she doesn't feel that way about him. What Hermione told Harry was true. That she didn't want to see him heartbroken. But really he wouldn't be heartbroken because Cho declined him, he would be heartbroken when he realises she can't care for him the way he would care for her. She was annoyed at Cho for this because she couldn't play someone like that but she couldn't blame her. Hermione would probably do the same thing if she went through the torments Cho went through just to be cared for.

So why did she stop? Why did Hermione not keep pushing? It's simple. For two reasons: One, because Harry had already smelt blood. There was no convincing him whether she disputed or not. Harry had gone beyond his shy stage of doing nothing. Leaving the lovesickness behind him.

Hermione just wished he had stayed like that.

Secondly, and more importantly, Hermione had admitted defeat. Because there was no way in hell that Cho would choose Hermione over Harry. There was no indication, nothing even hinted that Cho returned Hermione's feelings. She may not return Harry's either but her intentions were clear. She had played her cards and so had Harry. Hermione was left to do nothing but fold hers.

Now she had to wait until either Harry found out that Cho doesn't care for him or until Cho dumped him in probably a very vulnerable situation for Harry.

The first option was best not just for herself and Harry but for the whole wizarding world in general.

"Fine Harry. Just don't push too hard or come on too strong. Approach her cautiously. Make comfortable and unawkward small talk. Then you can test the waters and hopefully you get lucky." Hermione advised.

"Thanks Mione" Harry said gratefully before wigglinjg his eyebrows cockily "I will get lucky huh. How lucky will I get do you think?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed "Boys, they just cannot help but think dirty."

Harry just chuckled and said "Boys will be boys".

After the last DA meeting of the term, Harry grabbed everyone's attention and everyone gathered around.

" Now we won't be meeting up again until after the holidays" Harry announced followed by several disappointed groans from the DA. " So keep practising and just...well done, all of you"

This was followed by a round of applause. Hermione and Harry exchanged a few words before Harry's eyes wandered to Cho. Hermione sensing what the boy was thinking swallowed her pride, and a lump that suddenly formed in her throat, and told him casually "meet you in the common room Harry".

Harry barely acknowledged her as she retreated out the door, the last thing she saw before turning around the corner of the door was Fred and George trying to tell Harry about their Weasley products and Harry waving off to get to Cho.

The love of Hermione's life was about to be kissed by her best friend.

It was a slow trek back to the Gryffindor common room for Hermione. She just needed the time to compose herself before she saw Harry again. So that her best friend would be none the wiser to why Hermione was balling her eyes out.

The tears just flowed and flowed from the brunette, after all if she didn't get them all out now questions would be brought up in the future. Hermione didn't trust herself to control what she said when her emotions were all over the place.

It was now no longer a question of getting with Cho. It was a question of how would she cope knowing the girl she loved was with the second most trusted person in her life right now. Who would she stick by? Who would she neglect? Should she divide attention? Should she leave the room when she saw them together or stay and endure it knowing at any moment she could lose it completely?

These were questions she had to answer, and answer quickly, because when Harry returned her mind had to be made up or she would lose everything.

An; Oh no it pained me to do that. OK, I might be exaggerating a tad there. But don't worry because this is tas angsty as this story is gonna get, after this it all works it's way back up again. We had the big dipper to hell, now we board the rocket to the heavens. Hermione and Cho is not too far away.

Until next time. Cheerio

TBC...Harry and Cho aftermath.


	9. Chapter 9

An; hey. Enjoy this next chapter

Chapter 9: Harry and Cho aftermath

"Well, how was it?" Ron asked when Harry returned.

"Wet. I mean she was sort of crying." Harry replied.

"That bad at it are you" Ron teased.

"I'm sure Harry's kissing was more than satisfactory, Cho spends most of her time crying these days." Hermione commented..

"You'd think a bit of snogging would cheer her up." Ron thought out loud.

"Don't you understand how she must be feeling? Well obviously she is feeling sad about Cedric and therefore confused about liking Harry, guilty about kissing him and frightened about failing her owls coz she's too busy worrying about everything else." Hermione babbled.

Her intention was to get Harry to glare at her for her comment but instead he did nothing, obviously not really bothering to listen to her at all. Tension was about to be built if Ron hadn't jumped in saying "One person can't feel all that. They'd explode."

"Just coz you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon" Hermione retorted.

That instantly broke the tension. After what seemed like months the golden trio were all happy and joking again. Hermione really did miss this. The small bouts of happiness were more appreciated when they were few and far between. More memorable. What Hermione initially intended was to belittle Harry in an attempt to initiate a proper rivalry but that clearly failed this time.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking 'hold on for one second. I'm pretty sure that Hermione said she was gonna drop this charade, not intensify it'.

And you would be right but not long after Hermione had made her decision she went in search for an item in her pocket that she could transfigure into a tissue to wipe her wet eyes with. But what seemed to be a piece of scrap paper that Hermione was pretty sure wasn't put in her pocket by her, turned out to be a neatly folded note that had been folded five times so it could fit in Hermione's pocket. On said note was a message from Cho. It read:

_Hi,_

_Thanks for the heads-up yesterday, I knew it was only a matter of time before Harry initiated something but you gave me time to prepare so I'm grateful for that. _

_In regards to your warning about Harry, yes I am well aware that he feels some feeling for me. I will admit I don't exactly reciprocate them but I would never intentionally hurt him because of it, especially if he is in a vulnerable situation as he is now and will continue to be in the not too distant future. But it's good that you questioned me about where I stand because it just makes you a better friend all round. _

_Call me nosey and to mind my own business but I couldn't help but notice you seemed really down in your note yesterday. No witty remarks, no remarkably difficult words. That's not like you, and I've only been friends with you a few days so if I noticed then you are easier to read than I thought. _

_Is it about me? Have I upset you? Probably not coz you're not avoiding me, but it concerns me. I know it does._

_I wish you would tell me personally but I think this is about Harry. Tell me if I'm wrong but you think because I'm in a relationship with your best friend that you will be tossed into the background but trust me I don't accept friendships easily, you know that first-hand. But I do stick by my friends. _

_To prove it on the flip side of this note is something you will recognise. With a slight adjustment._

Hermione flipped the paper and looked at the back. It was the drawing that Cho dropped the day this charade started that seemed like it was years ago but was only a couple of months. This one was more detailed, the colours more vibrant and just like Cho said had a new image added. Sitting crosslegged on the floor with a book open in her hands, a smile on her face as she looked back at the brunette gazing astonished at the scene before her, Cho's fingers rested fondly on the top of her shoulders. Hermione was looking at the drawn version of...herself. Obelix and Rosalina were in the picture too, having a conversation it seemed with Obelix perched on the lowest branch of the tree behind the others and Rosalina standing on her tiptoes to talk properly with the owl. But Hermione was transfixed on herself sitting contentedly at Cho and Cho's parents feet. It was astonishing beautiful and it caused Hermione's mood to soar, and that was before she saw the locket she gave Cho hanging beautiful on Cho's neck and the message scrawled underneath 'The Perfect Family' stating 'It is now'.

Hermione did not know what to do? Nothing had ever touched Hermione's heart like this before. Cho picks up how down Hermione seemed to be when she wrote to Cho the day before to inform her of what Harry wanted to do after the last DA meeting before the Christmas holidays. Then she goes and assures Hermione that things will be OK and does something so kind and thoughtful that Hermione's heart was exploding with happiness.

At that instant, she fell a few more notches in love with Cho. And her gut had once more taken the side of the heart when it believed that Cho definitely showed a hint of affection or feeling for the brunette by such a touching picture. She was chosen as more of a priority in the picture than Rosalina and Obelix. One girl that Hermione had once thought was involved with Cho and a bird that knew the girl her whole life, and she placed Hermione above them on the visual list of important people to her. How can you not see some sign of attraction in that on Cho's behalf?

It was here that her brain gave up fighting. Gave up her logicality and ethics. Gave her conscience a holiday. And lead the body in a war. A war against Harry, her best friend and rival.

A war she was determined above anything else to win.

Harry was obviously gonna have the advantage of being Cho's boyfriend. And Hermione couldn't exactly tell Harry she was going to try and steal his girl. Her brain still hadn't changed on being Harry's friend and keeping the emotional disadvantage on our side of another much more dangerous but just as important war (on Hermione's behalf anyway) to a minimum. But he didn't know Cho like she did. In fact he wouldn't have such an open-hearted Cho as a girlfriend if it wasn't for Hermione. Hermione definitely had the power to end their relationship but how would she do it without tarnishing her own friendship with Harry and keeping Harry positive. Not to mention testing the waters with Cho to see if she reciprocated Hermione's feelings.

In the long run, she would really be doing Harry a favour. Cho was bound to end their relationship at some point because she may possibly have feelings for someone else, and if she doesn't she still wouldn't like Harry as anything more than a friend.

She was gonna have to be sneaky. Go behind not just Harry and Cho's back, but behind Ron and Ginny's back too. No one could have any suspicions on what Hermione was doing otherwise the game was over.

But that doesn't mean Hermione couldn't enjoy an evening of fun with two of the best guys in the world. Tomorrow was when the war would commence.

...

"Here comes the couple of the school. Hey" Ginny called in greeting as Harry had his left hand in the back of Cho's jean pocket and led them both to the group at the table. Cho looked uncomfortable about this but she was fooling a lot of people with her fake smile, except for Hermione. Hermione was not gonna let that continue. Cho's buttock was not a place that Harry's hand deserved to be.

As Harry leant across the table for a croissant, hand still in the confines of Cho's back pocket, Hermione reached for a baby boiled potato on the other side of Harry. She stretched her arm through the gap between Harry and Cho, took a potato and made sure her arm dropped on its journey back to detach Harry's arm away from Cho's derrière.

"Oh sorry Harry. I almost dropped my potato." Hermione apologised convincingly.

Harry tried to place his hand back where it was before but Cho had moved out of his reach. Harry luckily took it as an accident and smiled at Hermione.

"It's fine Hermione".

When Harry wasn't looking Cho gave Hermione a small look of gratitude but instead of winking like Hermione wanted to, she just gave Cho a look saying 'it generally was an accident'. She knew it wasn't but Hermione had to make sure everyone saw nothing untowards about what Hermione was doing, and that meant Cho too.

" You can sit down you know you two." Ron told them.

"I know but I just wanted Cho to be comfortable with being at this table rather than the Ravenclaw one first." Harry told him.

'That's working a bunch' Hermione thought sarcastically, looking at Cho scratching her arm nervously. Although it was clear the nerves wasn't about being at a different table, it was about trying to act happily when she wasn't and hoping that no one else picked up on it.

"Harry just sit down. She will feel more comfortable if she actually sat at the table." Hermione told him.

"Yeah, OK".

As both Harry and Cho were on Hermione's side where the bench was packed with people instead of on Ron and Ginny's side where the room was less cramped, Harry was gonna lead Cho around the table to the other side but Hermione had other ideas. She gestured, before Harry could take Cho's hand, to the nerve-racked girl to join them. She knew to Cho and the others it would look like a person trying to coax their shy friend into joining them but Hermione could tell that Cho was seeking her company over Harry's, so a gesture to join them meant sit next to her in Cho's (and evidently Hermione's) mind. It worked a treat and as Harry was about to take Cho's hand, said girl took a seat at the only space available between Hermione and a group of fourth year Gryffindor boys. Harry had a disappointed look and Hermione pretended to be sympathetic, but she was buzzing on the inside.

Harry had to resort to sitting opposite his girlfriend. Cho looked at Hermione with a small smile etching its way on her face, reassuring Hermione that she was now comfortable again. You can take that as break point to Hermione but she herself was cynical. Starting up relationships are quite nervy, especially if someone is inexperienced at relationships. And Cho admitted she had no feelings for Harry so really it would naturally be uncomfortable to date him. Just because she preferred her best friends company to her boyfriends did not mean she returned her best friends feelings.

But getting one over Harry was satisfying.

"So what are you two lovebirds thinking of doing on your first day as a couple?" Ginny inquired.

"Well, obviously we want to spend the day getting to know each other better, right Cho?" Harry answered.

Cho gulped down her mouthful of bread and replied halfheartedly "yeah of course".

"Well doing what?" Ginny asked unsatisfied with her answer.

"Well we both love Quidditch so flying is definitely on the checklist. Skipping stones across the lake like Hagrid does could keep us entertained for a bit; its not boulders of fun but it is something that we can do to keep conversation ticking over." Harry said.

"How about berry picking?" Hermione offered.

Everyone looked at Hermione oddly. Even Cho, but for a totally different reason to the others. "You did say you loved picking berries Cho. There's decent blackberry bushes to the right side of the Quidditch pitch; you could go there after your flying. Although it leads off the school grounds so you might want to let the professors know you are out there or just stay as close to the castle as you can whilst picking them."

"Picking berries. That is thrilling Hermione, really interesting." Ron replied sarcastically.

"It was just a suggestion." Hermione said.

"You know what fine. If Cho enjoys it I'm sure it'll be great." Harry spoke, accepting the suggestion.

"Hold on one minute." Cho said, halting everyone. She tugged at Hermione's arm and gave her a meaningful glare that said 'you will comply with me if you know what's good for you'. She then turned back to the others confused faces and asked "would you excuse us for a moment?"

She tugged Hermione away from the table and bent low so that they could whisper in conference without the others listening in.

"What the blazes are you doing?" Cho whispered hotly.

"What? You do like berry picking?"

"I know that but why did you mention it for?"

"Because you two are together. You will have to be convincing if you want Harry to believe you like something together that you find romantic will help that."

"Yes, romantic with someone I am interested in."

"But you are supposed to be interested in someone, that is my point. Even if you won't find it romantic it doesn't mean Harry and the others will see it the same way you will."

"But why berry picking. You could have said the flying is romantic for me and be done with it."

"But then I would be lying"

"Yeah and? The point is I don't want to spoil my happy memories of berry picking with Cedric. It is for me and my love interest only. Is that clear?"

"Yes, fine" Hermione sighed defeated. " I'm sorry."

"That's OK. Just think before you say next time." Cho answered.

Cho and Hermione then returned to the table. Hermione wished she could feel chastised but throughout all that, they were only inches away from each others faces and all it would have took Hermione was a jolt and she would have finally tasted the lips of the Asian goddess.

"Sorry about that, I had to clear things up to Hermione. I'm afraid berry picking will have to be dropped; it's a hobbies of mine but I realise that it isn't at all interesting to other people."

"Well, if you're sure." Harry relented.

"I am."

The rest of breakfast was full of arguments with Ron, jokes with Ginny, advice to Harry and small talk with Cho. Hermione was sad to see it end because she wanted to talk longer with Cho and also she knew that she wouldn't have many chances today to go toe to toe with Harry. That was until Cho spoke up.

"Hermione are you coming?"

"What? Coming where?" Hermione responded.

"With me and Harry."

"But aren't you supposed to be spending your day together with Harry. Why does Hermione have to go?" Ron asked. By now everyone was waiting on Cho's answer.

"She has to come. She is my rock. If I go all day with Harry alone I will be sooner or later crying my eyes out and ruining the whole day. With Hermione there she can step in to make sure I'm not going to do that. It's still a sore subject for me and I can be set off instantly by just one reminder of him. Hermione has shown me she can more than support me on that front." Cho explained.

Hermione was struggling not to cry at the praise she was receiving. Instead of everyone being annoyed at Cho they were completely accepting. How could anyone deny Cho her happiness?

"Sure, come on then Mione. We should be on our way to the lake first." Harry beckoned.

...

Hermione and Cho spoke in hushed tones all the way and poor Harry could do nothing but bury his hands in his pockets and walk behind them quietly. They were still bickering about the berry picking, and generally bickering for the sake of their pride and unwilling to back down. It was both comical to see but frustrating that it was stopping Harry from spending time with his girlfriend. He has been with Cho a day and she is already bored of Harry's company. Well, he just needed to prove how fun Harry Potter is.

"Well girls, it's winter. And that means..." Harry started, leaning on both girls shoulders, waiting for them to complete his sentence.

"... That it's cold." Hermione said.

"Yes, what happens to the water in the clouds in winter"

"It freezes." Cho answered.

"And what is another name..."

"Harry! Just bloody get to the point." Hermione huffed, then when Harry was about to explain Hermione got there first. "You are suggesting that we play around in the snow, yes? Well good idea, that sounds like fun. But don't beat around the bush."

"Leave the poor guy alone; he was only trying to impress." Cho said smiling at Harry warmly that Harry returned, sickening Hermione to her stomach.

"Are we going or what?" And with that Hermione stalked away followed by a triumphant Harry who had clearly not noticed the sour mood that had risen in his best friend. Cho did though, and it left her with many questions. There was only one that kept popping to the foreground of her head. And that was why?

...

The novelty of the fun that Hermione had playing in the snow with the other two lasted shorter than it should've lasted. Hermione loved playing in the snow, like any other human being alive with even a remote sense of adventure and fun. But it was clear within five minutes that this day wasn't about the three teenagers hanging out; it was about the teenage couple spending time together. And their friend.

This was straight away a complete buzz kill. It popped up constantly through Harry's attempts to look a decent and loving boyfriend by rolling around in the snow (not in that way) with Cho and picking her up and carrying her on his shoulders. They looked like a couple in love. Hermione knew that it was a completely one-sided relationship but despite that, it looked like it was worthy to fool the most observant of eyes.

What was getting to Hermione the most was the fact that if it was her and Cho it would be real. If Cho returned her feelings like Hermione suspected she did, it would look much more convincing because it wouldn't be forced or pretend. It would look a great sight because it was one. She felt cheated and screwed out of that and it really angered her.

And of course, it made her unfathomably jealous.

"Do you two want to head down to the Quidditch pitch now?" Hermione asked, itching to just get back to ruining Harry's day with Ch...no wait, Hermione would never call it that. Even though she knew that was what it is.

"Already?" Harry joked whilst jabbing his fingers under Cho's ribcage, tickling her senseless. "But we just got started."

"Harry...pl...please...no...no more...ha ha...I...can't... Can't ha bare it..." Cho gasped through tears of laughter.

"Seriously, we should go before people get there before us." Hermione urged them. Her control on her composure was slipping like flat shoes on an ice rink. And also lost control it seems on her memory.

"Hermione, I told you. None of the Quidditch teams at Hogwarts practice on snow days. We should coz it would help with our fitness to practice in air constricting conditions, but we just accept the fact that no one really is committed enough to give up their fun-filled free time to practice. A match on the other hand is a different story..."

"Alright Harry I get it. But I'm just too cold now and I want to be going." Hermione almost hissed his way. She then turned on the spot and went to retrieve her bag that had been dumped in the snow.

"What is her problem?" Harry asked watching her walk away with her hands constantly clenching and unclenching.

Cho, with her eyes following Harry's line of vision and for longer, just replied. "I'm not sure."

...

'Great' Hermione thought sarcastically "this is much better.". She was of course referring to the fact that she was freezing her arse off whilst watching the broomstick-flying version of Torvill and Dean pirouette above her head. Hermione couldn't see the fascination of Quidditch, she never could even when Viktor took her to the Yule ball. But there is one thing she always regretted, and she would never tell anyone about...except for maybe Cho.

She wished she had learnt to fly a broomstick.

This isn't because she was feeling completely left out right now. It was because it was partly due to her competitive streak and wanting to best everyone, including her friends. At everything if possible. Granted Harry bested her at Defence but only just in her book and only on practical work. But Hermione not learning to fly is a constant reminder of how even though she could bust a gut to try, she could never be perfect.

But it was also to do with something Harry told her years ago when she questioned him on what does flying achieve you in life.

He said:

_It doesn't achieve much. Not too much at all. But that's not to say that it isn't plausible. Life can be unbearable sometimes. It can suffocate you, imprison you, torture you and hurt you. You say what does flying achieve? Well, nothing really academically. But academics, wealth, skill and superiority is not what life is about is it. Not really. What flying achieves is everything that is related to what is truly important in life. Family, friendship, love and just living. That is what is important. What flying does is momentarily take away everything that is affecting all that in a negative a persons death. Recovering from a finished relationship. Being made homeless or being abused by your family. They are the big things, you also get the little things like relieving stress from work, blowing off some steam after a row and just passing the time coz you're bored. They are all either taken away completely or taken away for the amount of time you are up there, that you will then face again when you come back down. Flying doesn't achieve much but what it does achieve it does better than anything else._

Hermione thought even Dumbledore couldn't have said that any better. Hermione had heard that flying is a form of escape but she didn't know how much escape it can provide. Ever since she heard Harry say that she looked up to people who fly, and not just because they want to be the next best seeker. Viktor was the best seeker in the world but he doesn't fly to be the best seeker. Hermione remembered him saying if his schedule got too overcrowded at anytime in the future he would give up his Quidditch career for one flying session through the Alps.

Hermione expected big things from flying but she herself may never experience it herself. Alone.

"Hermione!" Someone called, snapping Hermione from her thoughts. Cho had dismounted and was climbing the stairs to sit beside Hermione in the stands.

"Cho, where's Harry?"

Cho sat down beside Hermione resting her broomstick up against the seat in front of her. "He got sidetracked".

Hermione just frowned in confusion.

" I told him I lost a glove whilst flying" Cho clarified. She then reached into her pocket, took out the 'missing glove' and put it on.

Hermione chuckled and said "you're mean you are."

"Says the person who nabbed me right under Harry's nose when you bonded my blood".

Hermione just pretended to be hurt by that comment, clutching at her chest. " I do not know what you're talking about?"

Cho shook her head and continued "besides I had to talk to you alone."

"About what?"

"I don't know exactly. That is what I'm here to find out."

"Cho you're confusing me"

"What's wrong Hermione?"

" I don't know, you approached me"

"I mean why have you been so...dejected. You were fine at breakfast but now...just tell me what's bothering you"

What was bothering Hermione? Hermione had several acceptable answers for that question but none she was willing to share. Especially to the person who was the theme of those problems.

"Nothing."

"Look me in the eye and say that."

Hermione was surprised to hear her say that, so much that she actually unintentionally did what Cho asked. Once Hermione was captured by those eyes her plan to fight and defend her cause was doomed. Hermione gazed at Cho and was unable to stop. A warm hand slipped into her hand, glove abandoned for real this time. Hermione felt the fingers squeeze hers and she squeezed back. Another hand, free of it's glove, ran up Hermione's neck and chin until it was cupping her cheek. Hermione unconsciously leaned into Cho's palm.

"You don't have to tell me..."

Cho shuffled closer.

"...just rest assured, I meant what I said earlier. About you being my rock. My own guardian angel. I am not giving you up. I cannot imagine how I ever coped without you..."

Hermione was content enough to close her eyes, it was for this reason that she never noticed Cho leaning in cautiously.

"...you're just amazingly perfect...the greatest friend ever..."

Hermione shot up out of her seat just before Cho's lips could reach its destination. "Right, let's find Harry. And tell him we found your glove."

Cho just watched Hermione make haste in her retreat.

'I guess she doesn't feel that way about me then' Cho thought

'I guess 'friend' is always what I'm gonna be to her' Hermione thought.

An; don't let the ending fool you but they are both making progress. It seemed angsty but really they both just need that little extra push and our problem is solved.

Does flying in air constricting conditions like cold weather really make you fitter? Who knows, they're flying broomsticks. It is something we will never find out. I'm just going by when you exercise in cold weather regularly it makes your lungs stronger.

Hermione seems all over the place in this chapter. That was my intention. You would say if Hermione knew Cho didn't like Harry and had an inkling that Cho returned Hermione's feelings, that the smart thing to do is tell Harry as his best friend the situation however heartbreaking it would be because he will get over it quicker if he didn't get far with Cho to begin with. It also gives the guilt tally for Hermione an immense decrease. But this is love. It is blind, deaf and dumb. It brings the best and worst out of people. Lowers your instincts, increases doubt and paranoia. It really f***s you up. That is how Hermione justifies her situation.

Read and reviews are welcome and encouraged. Or favourite or follow me and/or this story.

TBC...Christmas with Cho


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Christmas with Cho

The Christmas holidays had arrived and Hermione thought she needed the break. From Umbridge and the Inquisitorial Squad. From the stress of upholding an illegally scheduled class. And must ultimately, from competing with her best friend. This Christmas holiday came at a good time. This holiday was supposed to mend the damages to a frail friendship. Hermione wanted to be Harry's best friend again.

And when she said best friend she meant his BEST friend.

She never failed to be prideful about that. Ever since third year she was convinced that if Harry had to choose a best friend out of her and Ron (god forbid that ever happening) Harry begrudgingly would choose her. Ron had much more of a bond to Harry's mischievous side, which Hermione admittedly thought was one of Harry's greatest traits, but in dire moments of vulnerability who was the first to be by Harry's side. Hermione was. When he felt the loneliest, Hermione was there. Harry would choose her because nothing he said or did, or even something he didn't do or say, could make Hermione abandon him. It was a point not just to her but to her feminist side. A guys best friend is a girl, and they both do not turn out to be a couple later on in life.

Hermione had been jeopardising that friendship this year. She had to repair it before Harry realised that.

Hermione still planned to meet up with Cho though. But it seemed Cho had beaten Hermione to the punch. Hermione received a letter two days into the holiday's for them to meet up on Christmas Eve. Hermione agreeing though would mean Harry mustn't know. So there was only one way this was going to work. Hermione had to sneak out and get back before anyone noticed. For now though she had a week to get close to Harry again. She just hoped she didn't contradict mending their friendship by getting caught.

...

Cho really wished she could stay at Hogwarts, or Harry's Godfather's or even with Hermione. Or should that be especially with Hermione.

If she could just survive these next two weeks at 'Home' then she is back to living freely and with some self-confidence only her best friend could give her. No, in fact that will be in less than a week now that they have planned to meet on Christmas Eve. To keep Harry 'occupied' Cho sent him some Christmas cookies for the twenty-fourth night of December with a little extra...surprise. Just a mild Somnium Liquidus, or sleeping potion, to make things easier for Hermione.

Does she feel guilty for ditching her own boyfriend to liaise with hers and his best friend? No.

Why? Because this meeting has a much more significant objective than just hanging out. If that was the case Cho would've invited him too. No, her best friend clearly has a problem; Harry sees it too but he obviously came to the wrong decision as Hermione is still acting not herself. He thought the stress of helping run a secret defence class was starting to just get on top of her and that the break for the holidays would relieve the pressure. 'Really, she would act cold to you because she is under moderately strenuous pressure?' Cho thought. 'She would get annoyed when me and you do anything intimate because she is stressed?'. And that was why Harry couldn't know about this meeting because Cho would never get anywhere with the brunette if Harry went. Harry had a major part in this problem, if not THE major part. Hermione definitely had a problem with their relationship, just Harry knowing that means it will not go well at all. For anyone.

Cho had to find out what exactly was Hermione's problem. The major suspect, even though it was practically disproved, was that Hermione was jealous of Harry because she had feelings for Cho. On two occasions they had almost kissed; one initiated by Cho, the other (more significantly) initiated by Hermione. 'Now Hermione is jealous.' Cho thought 'And also, call me a fool but I am sure Hermione is using underhanded tactics to meddle and manipulate mine and Harry's relationship.'

That was yet to be proven for Cho, nothing more than insinuation. And if Hermione liked Cho why would she run away when a week earlier Hermione had tried to kiss her. It didn't make sense. The signs of attraction were there, or were they?

'She smiles when she sees me'

'Coz she considers you a friend, why wouldn't she be happy to see you?'

'She tried to kiss me'

'So? Heat of the moment.'

'When I tried to kiss her she had her eyes closed, and she leant in to my hand."

'Combination of the warmth that was still in your hand from the glove, she obviously liked the warmth of your hands on her cold face. And also again friends can touch friends, just coz they react positively doesn't mean they are attracted to you'

'It seems like you don't even want the fact that Hermione might like me to be true.'

'Now you're being ridiculous'

'Just coz of what people would say if they found out that I was in a relationship with a girl'

'Correction. WE would be in a relationship with a girl. I'm the brain you know, you wouldn't even function without me.'

'I'm the heart, you would be bored stiff and would be a soulless git without me'

Whilst her brain and heart fought back and forth, Cho just laid back in her bed and waited for sleep to come. They would solve this problem soon enough. It was Cho's turn to be there for her friend.

...

"Harry. Seriously, what are you like?" Hermione said fondly as she helped him wrestle his way out off an old blue knitted jumper that he unsuccessfully enlarged to fit into. He ended up giving the jumper three sleeves and no hole to put your head through. He only realised this after he put it on, resembling a dark blue elephant.

"Stay still" Hermione ordered him half-sternly, half-chuckling. After the self-inflicted restraining contraption was removed Harry melodramatically huffed and puffed, trying to get air back into his lungs. "Thanks Hermione. You saved my life."

"Don't mention it. We can't have an evil jumper kill you before you get a chance to kill a very evil wizard."

"No, we can't."

"I suppose you want me to to transfigure this back and resize it for you, seeing as you like impersonating wild animals rather than using magic correctly" Hermione taunted, as she neatly folded up the jumper.

"If you would be so kind"

Hermione kindly did the honours. "Restituo Panno"

The three sleeves quickly turned back into two sleeves and a neckhole.

"Engorgio"

The jumper grew a few sizes.

"There. Honestly, if I didn't know better I would say you were poor at using magic." Hermione joked, nudging the raven-haired boy playfully.

Harry reached for the jumper and put it on with ease this time. "Your sense of humour is back then"

Hermione harrumphed "I was unaware it was gone".

"Come off it Hermione" Harry said, moving around her to get to his bed. "You have barely managed to even smile lately. And that's not just me talking, Cho has noticed too."

'I am aware' Hermione thought bitterly 'she made it very clear what I am and always will be to her. She tries to help me; maybe if she opened her eyes and saw me as more than a 'friend' she might've solved this problem before I could cause this much damage to our friendship Harry. But no, I have been fighting for something that isn't even there.'

"Hermione, are you listening to me" Harry asked impatiently, snapping Hermione from her thoughts.

"Pardon Harry?"

"I said, take it easy. It's Christmas. Let the stress just drain."

"What stress?"

"Geez, the stress from the secret defence class. I know you have been finding the pressure hard. This is your opportunity to unhinge."

Harry had got the wrong end of the stick. Thank Merlin for that.

"Yeah, If you say so Harry."

Harry rummaged through his trunk whilst Hermione laid down on her front on Ron's bed to read, her legs swinging up and down showing a glimpse of Hermione's childhood.

Hearing Harry's muffled laugh, Hermione looked up.

"What?"

"Nothing. I can just imagine a five year old Hermione, reading her fairytale book on her own in her little pink bedroom. You are showing a good replica of it."

Hermione looked at the back of her calves, sticking up at her knees with her toes pointing up. "What's so funny about that?"

"It's funny how cute it is"

Hermione frowned slightly. "Thanks. I think."

Harry went back to rummaging until he found what he was looking for. "Aha, here it is".

" What is it?"

"Cho's letter"

To stop herself from groaning in irritation, Hermione just looked down at her book as he read. Harry looked up again when he had finished.

"Hermione? Can I have your honest opinion?"

"Of course Harry"

"Why has Cho suddenly cancelled the meeting I was gonna arrange with her? I mean she agreed at Hogwarts, and she said she had nothing else on for the holidays. If that's so why has she cancelled?"

'Urrrrggghhh, typical. He had to ask a question I knew the answer to but had to pretend I didn't.' Hermione thought. "I really don't know Harry, she said nothing about it in my letter"

Seeing Harry's reaction, Hermione slapped herself internally. " You got a letter too from Cho...well, can I look at it?"

"Harry. I didn't ask to read YOUR letter."

"Well, I just need to see what she told you"

"Why? Didn't you believe me when I said I know nothing" 'please just drop it Harry'

"Yes but..."

"If she told me something important I would have told you wouldn't I?" Hermione lied.

Harry deflated "yeah, of course you would've. Sorry Hermione, I wasn't doubting you"

'You should've.' "Forget about it Harry"

"Kids, dinner" came the call from Mrs Weasley downstairs. Hermione was glad for the interruption.

...

If Hermione wanted to sneak out successfully, there was many things she had to take into account. Luck obviously, hoping people weren't awake to hear the floorboards creak. Keeping Mrs Black quiet. Creating a clone dummy of herself in case someone checks up on her whilst she was out. And obviously sneaking out the door. She was thinking about climbing out a window but wasn't sure if the Fidelius charm that kept this place secret would allow that so the door was the only option. Floo was too loud and Hermione needed space to use a portkey and she didn't have time to create one. So out the door it was.

Hermione's hand was on the doorknob. As quietly and as carefully as possible she opened it. One foot made it out, no screaming yet. Half her body was out, no one called her name. Her whole body was out, no sudden noises were heard. She could now ease the door shut with an inaudible click.

She was out.

Hermione released a giant breath and wrapped her scarf more snugly around her neck. Hermione and Cho were to meet up outside Lilac Layla's Perfumes a few streets from the Order headquarters. Cho didn't know that obviously. Cho had to get the Knight Bus and walk from the nearest stop. Hermione knew that later on she would have to worry about getting back into Grimmauld Place. But she would worry about that then. Now though, it was hard to feel anything but anticipation.

Hermione arrived at the meet up much sooner than she had thought and she killed the time waiting by writing her name in the air with her Lumos spell (it was gone twelve on Christmas Eve; what Muggle in their right mind would be out at this hour on this night. So it was safe to use magic).

"Merry Christmas" came a whisper millimetres from her ear, causing Hermione to jump and slap the culprit on the arm. "Owww, what was that for?"

"For making me jump"

"Well, if you weren't playing with your...wand" Cho stated saucily. "You might've noticed me"

"Nice potty mouth. But you wish you could have my wand. In your hand particularly." Hermione shot back just as saucily.

Cho blushed, caught of guard by the flirtatiousness of Hermione and the surprise of being out flirted by a girl some people described as a bit of a prude. Hermione smirked at this.

"That... escalated quickly" Cho finally replied.

"If you're done talking dirty, there is a nice pathway that needs walking. So if you don't mind" Hermione reminded Cho, still smirking triumphantly.

"Yeah, yeah. Move it, cheeky" Cho answered.

...

The girls had been walking a while just chatting the night away. It was breaking the ice between them until they could bring what was on their minds up. They were just walking alongside the river Thames in Westminster so they knew their journey was almost over. They had to speak their minds as soon as possible or the chance was wasted.

"Seriously?" Hermione said disbelievingly, her smile betraying her amusement.

"Honest to god. They were in his cookies" Cho insisted.

"You are so mean to your boyfriend you know. He hasn't a clue that you are doing all this to him."

"He should be used to pranksters; he hangs around with the Weasley twins."

"At least he is aware of their pranks, he doesn't even know he is being pranked by you"

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him. You don't seem so appalled by it Miss Prefect"

"Well" Hermione joked "people like you never learn"

Cho shrugged and said "fine, I can continue teasing my boyfriend then".

Hermione mumbled " if you can even call him that".

Cho heard it though. "What was that?"

Cho grabbed Hermione's arm and made her face her. "What was that?"

"How can you call him your boyfriend when we both know that's not true?" Hermione said blatantly, daring Cho to deny it.

"I thought you were OK with us. Me and Harry."

"I was. Then you treat him like this"

"Like what?" Cho answered disbelievingly

"Treating him like a friend. Pulling pranks? That isn't a relationship. And I can see in your eyes, your body language. You don't feel for Harry like he does for you. Yes, I knew right from the beginning that you didn't fancy him coz you told me practically, but I thought you might start falling for Harry if you went out with him. That you might develop some feelings for him. But that hasn't happened so why are you still doing this?" Hermione commented

"How is it my fault I don't feel anything for Harry? And I have been going out with him for a week, give me time."

"Cho, it's not about the fact you don't like him, it's about the fact you are willingly still dating him whilst knowing that you don't like him. And I would give you more time but there is no spark, how do you expect your relationship to catch fire?" Hermione explained.

"I thought you didn't want his heartbroken, now you're telling me that I should break it?"

"They are never nice to hear, but finishing a one-sided relationship is the decent thing to do."

"What about Harry's vulnerability?"

"Harry will get over it knowing that he had at least a chance with someone. In some ways it could boost his confidence when he finds someone else."

"And you're certain of that"

Hermione nodded.

Cho released Hermione's arm and began walking again,leaving Hermione to catch up. "Well, there is nothing else going for me. Why should I leave Harry? He is the only person who wants me."

Hermione scratched her arm nervously.

"I make Harry happy; that is something that I need. Harry does it to a degree but it's just not complete. But who else can make me happy like that. They are out there somewhere. They could be far away or they could be closer than I think."

Hermione was biting her gums, taking steady breaths, flexing her fingers. Basically doing anything to stop herself from shouting out, little did she know that was exactly what Cho was trying to get Hermione to do. If she got no verbal reaction (as Cho couldn't look around to check Hermione's physical reaction without betraying her plan) then Hermione definitely felt nothing. But Cho already was eighty percent sure Hermione likes her.

Now for the killer blow.

"Hermione, will anyone ever love me, ever again?" Cho stopped and sat on the wall.

"Cho. Of course. Don't be so absurd" Hermione comforted.

"Then where are they? Why can't they find me? Who are they?"

"Cho! The right person for you will come. They exist. They will be yours" Hermione said looking directly in Cho's eyes. Rain was pouring, despite the pair not remembering when it even started, dripping down the two teens face.

"How do you know?" Cho asked.

Hermione leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"Because she has been fighting for you since day one".

Then Hermione pulled away. She looked up and finally acknowledged the rain. They were silent for a few seconds, staring at each other.

"Well, it's late and it's raining. We should be heading home. Goodnight"

Hermione turned and left before calling behind her "Happy Christmas Cho".

Cho just stared at Hermione's retreating back. When she was almost out of sight, that was when Cho smiled. 'I knew it'.

...

Hermione was proud of herself, and disappointed at the same time. In her book, she confessed. Not outright confessed, but it didn't take much thinking to work it out. In HER mind though. Her mind was all over the place, it was bound to affect her estimations. Would Cho look at it different from Hermione's perspective? Should she have made her confession more clearer? She couldn't do anything about that now. And Cho never said a word nor reacted to what she heard. Was it out of confusion, surprise or awkwardness? Hermione would have to wait for the next letter. If it even came at all.

But a lot of weight was off her shoulders now, her guilt sedated and her mind rested a little bit.

That was until she saw Harry sitting on the step outside Grimmauld Place, and by the look on his face he wasn't there to welcome her home.

Hermione looked sheepish, trying to get some answers together that she knew Harry would see through. She wasn't prepared to tell the truth.

"Hey Harry, I just fancied a walk."

"In this weather, good idea" Harry said coolly.

"Yeah, it wasn't raining when I left so I was a bit unlucky"

"Was it worth it?"

"It was helpful, yes"

Harry nodded and looked at his hands "and how was Cho?"

"I don't know, I was alone"

"Don't lie to me!" Harry snapped.

Hermione instantly cowered as the onslaught began. "Besides from lying to me, deceiving me, abusing my godfather's hospitality and recklessly putting your life in danger, you at least enjoyed having a good time with my girlfriend. What a Merry Christmas this is eh?"

"Harry I'm sorry I didn't tell you but..."

"Save it. You already showed me how loyal you really are. Keeping secrets that I not only need to know about but deserve is a good way to stab a friend in the back."

"Hey! For your information it was your girlfriend who invited me, she decided to leave you out. So if you should be angry at anyone it should be her."

"Wow, you even shared out the blame and ratted another friend out. You really are top class."

"I don't have to listen to this."

"Oh yes you do. I saw the letter before you even went out tonight and I remember you saying if Cho had anything important to say,you would have told me."

Hermione sighed and replied "yes I know I shouldn't have lied but can't you see why? Cho didn't invite you; that means that me meeting up with Cho wasn't a big deal. Just best mates hanging out. I didn't want you to think that Cho prioritised me over you."

"Why would I think that? Your happiness has always been important to me. You should know that."

"Well this year we have kinda been walking on eggshells around you. And you've never been in a relationship before, you might've taken it more seriously than other things."

Harry shook his head. "I can see right through you Hermione. You are meddling with my relationship with Cho. Trying to spoil things. I saw it at Hogwarts but just didn't want to admit it to myself but it is obvious now."

"Don't be so ridiculous!"

"I am not being ridiculous. Did you really expect me to not know you snuck out and saw my girlfriend?'

"If she had given me a reason why she didn't invite you I would've informed you about it. I assumed you wouldn't take it well if I went alone. I was right."

"Then why go at all?"

"I'm her best friend! I didn't spend all that time getting her confidence up to just let her down when she needs me! Coz it's obvious that is why she only invited me!"

"Using that as a weapon against me! You are something else you are."

"You wouldn't even have a girlfriend if it wasn't for me! You would still be acting the lovesick boy crushing on an out of his league girl still recovering from the trauma of losing her previous boyfriend to death! You're lucky you have a chance with Cho, people like me have to watch from the sidelines, single, whilst their best friends kiss and cuddle!" Hermione yelled practically in his face.

"Ah, you're jealous! Jealous that you haven't got anyone to 'kiss and cuddle' as you say! Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna and tonnes more of our friends have no partners but do you see them moaning or becoming jealous; they especially don't deliberately start to mess with their best friends relationship. Maybe if you grew up, took the plunge and did something about you being single, you would get over it."

Hermione recoiled at that last comment. Her gasp wilted and her eyes turned vacant. She bit her lip in thought.

Finally she frowned in determination and spoke slowly and deliberately. "Fine. If that's what you want..." Hermione snarled and moved around him "then that's exactly what I'm going to do."

The door shut behind him and he was left brooding on the step.

...

On the other side of the door, Ginny was there to meet Hermione. "Hey."

Hermione huffed in exhaustion "Hey Ginny"

"Come on" Ginny said, beckoning to her "Let's go up so we can talk it over."

Hermione was tired of arguing and she had to get more things off her chest anyway. "OK"

Once they were settled in their shared bedroom and the manakin in Hermione's bed was taken care off, Ginny sat opposite Hermione on her own bed. Hermione was playing with her hands.

"So, are you OK?" Ginny asked.

"What do you think Ginny?"

Ginny nodded. "Come on then. Tell. Everything bar what you said out there coz I heard everything and the sneaking out part"

"I went to see Cho. As requested by her. I lied out of compassion. Spoke to a very important friend to me. Came back. Got shouted at. I shouted back. What else is there to say?"

"Come on, if you and Harry are gonna get past this you have to admit to your mistakes."

Hermione sighed."OK. I wasn't a very good friend to Harry tonight."

"Just tonight?"

Hermione frowned. "Yes tonight."

Ginny shook her head. "You know that's not true."

"Another person trying to tell me what I have and haven't done" Hermione huffed.

"I'm impartial in this Hermione. But I will only continue to be when you tell me the whole truth."

Hermione clapped her hands over her eyes. Finally she tore them away. "Fine"

"How long have you had feelings for Cho?" Seeing Hermione's shocked expression, Ginny clarified. "I worked it out. Through reading between the lines, linking that to your behaviour as of late and also you space off sometimes, always staring in Cho's general whereabouts."

Hermione gulped fearing the worst from Ginny. "Has anyone else noticed or worked it out?"

"I don't know. Ron is suspicious but he doesn't suspect this, I think. I'm surprised Harry hasn't worked it out to be honest though he has other things raiding his mind, this situation just adding to that. But forget all that, how long?"

"Since September I guess." Hermione answered.

"Is that why you were so dedicated to being friends with Cho? So you could later on become girlfriends if you found out she liked you back?"

"Yes. Pretty much."

Ginny smiled "I have to hand it to you. That's gutsy. But then why did you allow Harry a chance with Cho?"

"I didn't allow anything. I never even contemplated Harry having the courage to ask Cho out. He looked like he was forever gonna be shy and I just had my bubble burst I guess when Harry told me."

"But from what Harry said he confronted you about asking Cho out and you not only let him but encouraged him. Why?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Do I really need to answer that? It's obvious. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I wanted Cho too."

"But then, you would be unhappy"

Hermione chuckled darkly. "And Harry had the gall to say I'm not a good friend."

"You were a good friend but not very realistic."

"Why?"

"Hermione, you had been closer to Cho than anyone. The only reason why that was, is coz you made it happen. Out of love. You really thought you would be OK to give the reins over to Harry, knowing full well you were gonna hate every second of it?" Ginny asked.

Hermione sniffed her tears back. "I thought wrong."

Ginny was about to continue this discussion when Hermione stopped her. "Ginny, can you keep a secret? A very important one too. Because it doesn't even belong to me. Promise you will not tell anyone, not even Harry and especially not Cho."

"Of course. I won't."

"Cho doesn't like Harry."

Ginny frowned confused. Hermione added "I mean not as a boyfriend."

"Then why are they even together?"

"Coz Cho wants to stick with Harry until 'the one' shows up in her life. She wants to keep Harry happy. To give him hope."

"Won't that shatter Harry's heart completely when it finally happens?"

"He will be heartbroken either way Gin. Its fairer on them both to end it really. But she will only do it when she finds the one" Hermione explained.

"OK. Rest assured the secret stays with me. But after Harry asked out Cho, what changed your mind so quickly?" Ginny asked back to the topic at hand.

"This." Hermione got out her wand. "Accio Cho's drawing."

Out of thin air it seemed, The Perfect Family appeared out the papers from Hermione's temporary desk on the chest of drawers. Hermione handed the paper to Ginny who looked at it.

"I had seen that drawing before. When I decided to befriend Cho. That time it just had her and her parents. I received it again the night the DA classes stopped for the holidays. The night Harry and Cho got together."

"Wow. She really does prioritise you don't she?"

"I thought the same thing."

"This changed your mind?"

Hermione nodded. "I love her, and this was the first sign she might love me. All I had to do was fight for it."

"So Harry was right? You were trying to break their relationship up?"

Hermione stayed silent. She could have argued but she knew she would be once again lying, not just to Ginny but to herself.

"It makes so much sense now." Ginny commented.

"Are you angry?"

Ginny's smile already told Hermione her answer but Ginny answered anyway. "No. If anything I feel proud of you. Guys will never fully understand how confusing it is for girls to love someone their same gender, without any indication that they swung that way. Guys have the advantage of knowing how guys think. Girls the same for girls. So guys will see you as a backstabbing girlfriend stealer whilst girls will see you as a fighter for love no matter the problems and obstacles you have had to fight to get it. Harry may hate you at the moment but I don't."

Hermione got up and hugged Ginny. "Thanks Gin. I feel better knowing that someone I trust finally knows."

"You now have someone to talk to about this. Call me your guardian angel."

Hermione grimaced. "I would revise that name."

They pulled apart. "What did she say then?"

"Who?"

"Cho, when you confessed?"

"You can be really perceptive when you want to be, can't you?" Hermione said, less surprised this time. "She didn't actually say anything. I didn't give her time to."

"Still, I know you want her but does she want you?"

"One can only hope. On the bright side if Harry gets dumped at least he can have you for comfort. Would you like that?" Hermione smirked.

"I thought you'd never ask" Ginny answered with a beaming smile.

An; hey hey hey hey heeeeeeeeeeyyyy. Thanks for reading.

This chapter was deliberately laid back. There is so much drama in this story; sometimes people need to laugh and have fun. This was the chapter to do it. Of course though the humour didn't last long but you cherish the humour more because of it I think.

"'Guys will never fully understand how confusing it is for girls to love someone their same gender, without any indication that they swung that way."'- I think I'm an anomaly in that. I'm writing a story about how confusing loving a person of the same sex is. I can see how hard loving anyone can be, let alone the confusion of loving someone you never thought you would ever be attracted to. I guess I still don't fully understand it coz I haven't experienced it. And I'm pretty sure I'm straight. But to any lesbian or gay out there, in the closet or out, who is going through what Hermione is going through, I'm in your corner.

Oh and guys Im not hating against you coz that be like hating myself. But we are not as self-conscious or as unconfident as girls, we should stay open-minded to how they feel.

If you knew how close we were to seeing Hermione get with Cho you would almost collide with it haha

Thanks for the favourites and follows. But please review too. SturgisFlitwick clearly loves this story by the looks of it.

TBC...Cho's Christmas Wish.


	11. Chapter 11

An; OK guys, the chapter we've all been waiting for. Strap up tight and please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times lol thank you.

Chapter 11: Cho's Christmas wish.

Waking up on Christmas day. Is there any morning better than Christmas morning? Mr Weasley had come home after suffering terrible injuries from the bites of Voldemort's pet snake, a smile immovable on his face. Harry had dropped his tempestuous mood and joined in the buzz of breakfast on Christmas morning.

As for Hermione, well, the only way this day could cheer her up inside was if Cho was here; but outside Hermione was as cheerful as the rest.

Hermione wished Cho was at least enjoying her Christmas too.

...

"Merry Christmas Cho." Obelix greeted.

"What's so Merry about this one?" Cho said glumly, approaching Obelix and Rosalina talking by an evergreen tree.

"Buongiorno to you too Ebenezer." Rosalina teased. Cho stuck out her tongue.

"You just have to cope with it for now Cho. Soon enough you can celebrate Christmas properly with someone who loves you. In fact, this Christmas is the merriest yet for you." Obelix told her.

Cho smiled, reliving Hermione's parting words last night. Then her smile dropped. "Wait do I even like Hermione that way?"

Rosalina and Obelix just looked at each other before exploding into a cacophony of laughter.

"Oi, this isn't funny. I need help here. How do I know if I like Hermione?"

The laughter just grew until Rosalina was smacking the tree with her fists and Obelix was now hooting instead of laughing. Cho just glared furiously at them both.

"Are you quite finished laughing at me?!"

"I'm sorry sweet Hydrangea, but that was the most hilarious thing I have heard in a while. Of course you don't like Hermione?" Rosalina said.

Cho raised an eyebrow at this. Rosalina being Italian meant sometimes her sentences were structured in a way that sometimes sounded to be the opposite of what she meant. Obelix had to explain to Cho what the Italian girl meant.

"No, what Rosie is trying to say is you don't JUST like Hermione"

"Now, I'm even more confused." Cho said.

Obelix flew off the tree and resided on Cho's shoulder. "Basically Cho, you love Hermione. She is the only person who can make you smile happily. She is the only person you feel comfortable enough to be yourself with. The only person you trust unconditionally. The only reason you wake up. The only reason you eat and drink. She has become your life and without her you would have nothing. That is love deeper than any relationship someone your age could have. And you want more of it."

"How do you know?"

"That smile you had earlier explains it all. Which is why we laughed when you asked a question like that." Rosalina clarified.

"What do you think Cho?" Obelix asked.

Cho thought about everything Obelix just said. 'Yes, Hermione always does make me smile'. 'Yes, I trust her over everyone'. 'I always do want to see her when I wake up in the morning'. 'I eat and drink so I know I will see her again.'

"By George, I do love her." Cho exclaimed.

"The penny has officially dropped." Rosalina replied.

Cho suddenly looked confused again. "Since when have I liked girls?"

"Does it matter?" Rosalina replied.

Cho thought again. "No, but this can't have just happened."

"Why not?" Obelix questioned this time.

"Because I would noticed of course. I haven't been attracted to a girl until now."

"Exactly. Until now. How many people have you been attracted to? Cedric and Hermione. It doesn't have to be all physical attraction..."

"But it helps" Rosalina added with a wink.

"You're not helping you know" Obelix commented pointedly.

"I beg to differ"

Cho just grinned at her friends antics, they could battle the Weasley twins for their back and forth tiffs.

"As I was saying, you like Hermione more for what type of person she is more than what she looks like. That's not to say, like Rosie pointed out, that you don't find Hermione physically attractive. It is quite the opposite. But it was Hermione's inner beauty that stole your heart. To be honest I have never met another person with more pressure on her shoulders to do the right thing and pleases all when she does it, than Hermione. She is everyone's guardian angel, but even angels fall in love. And to nab an angel like Hermione then you are just as incredible." Obelix explained.

"But...I'm scared. How does a girl/girl relationship work? Is it the same as being with a man or completely different?" Cho fretted

"That's the beauty of the game, you find it out yourself. You will know how to treat her my sweet when the time is upon you." Rosalina told her.

Rosie then approached Cho and held her face in her hands, delicately encouraging Cho to look her in the eyes.

"Have I ever told you that I have never met anyone like you Cho; we met three years ago and your life has become a pleasure to assist you with and you have no idea how thrilled I am to hear you will finally be happy again and for much, much longer I hope."

Cho, who was caught off guard by Rosie's speech, blinked back tears. "No way. You are not going to get by me like that. I will cry for one person only."

"Damn it. Almost had ya"

Cho then wrapped Rosalina up into a hug.

"If you're done hogging the limelight, I want to say my piece. Now shoo." Obelix ordered.

"Being shooed by a bird; the irony of that is killing me" Rosalina said to Cho teasingly, before stepping around Cho and walking away.

Now it was Obelix's heartfelt good wishes that Cho had to endure.

"Not you too." Cho joked whilst sniffling.

"Cho Chang. What did I ever do to deserve you?" Obelix started.

"Something terrible I think." Cho giggled.

Obelix started to flap and said "let me tell you this...in person"

Cho was about to ask her what she meant but suddenly a swell of black feathers twirled round the owl like a tornado, spinning endlessly. After Obelix was completely surrounded by the feathers the whirlpool began to widen and grow until it was the size of a small child, then an oil drum and finally until it was the size of Cho herself. Then the whirlpool halted its spinning and gradually all the feathers dropped, slowly revealing a dark haired, African woman dressed in a black cape that looked like shreds of black paper was draped over her.

"Wow. Obelix, is that you?"

"I've never seen you...well, like this."

"It certainly doesn't happen often; even Rosie hasn't seen me in this form. I'm in this form so that you know what I'm gonna say is the exact truth about how much I care for you." Human Obelix explained.

She then took two steps and held Cho's hands in hers.

"You were only six and i was only twelve when you found me injured in that hedgerow but you were kind enough to store me in a shoebox, and for the first day you didn't even realise I could speak. The very next day, whilst feeding me walnuts, you spilt your heart out to me. The surprise on your face when I replied back was just unforgettable."

Cho blushed in embarrassment; Obelix chuckled and continued.

"You took my advice, and after you begged me to stay, I have been giving you it ever since. We both had...well let's say harsh backgrounds, so us being friends felt right and we completed each others lives. Until you met Cedric. And that look in your eyes was the greatest sight I had ever seen when he asked you to the Yule ball. I thought, through all that you would spend a considerable less amount of time with me and for days I was jealous. But you kept coming to me still. The advice no longer about who would love you or if anyone would love you, but how much does he love you and how can you show him you love him too. Nothing kept me out of the loop if you could help it. Then the best look in your eyes was followed by the worst when you heard the Professors say 'the boy has been killed'".

Cho's face dropped so Obelix gave her time to compose herself. Then she continued.

"You were worse than ever and me and Rosie were close to fearing the worst. So it shouldn't be hard to imagine how much of a miracle it was to us as well that Hermione came into the picture. And a month later I see that look in your eyes again whenever you talk about Hermione. But this time it is different. Last time with Cedric you were almost completely reliant on my advice. This time with Hermione it is very much different because you both have each other. To help each other in ways me and Rosie could never do, and that is to overcome the hurdles when you get to them. I would advise now that you still come to me from time to time and to seek my advice if you need it, but I don't expect to see very much of you except when I deliver you your mail. And I'm not jealous because the better person for mine and Rosie's job, will soon be your girlfriend."

Obelix then took Cho into her arms, hugging her in her human form for the first time.

"No matter what Cho, I hope you realise how loved you really are. By me and Rosie, but most importantly by Hermione. Chin up OK. Live the rest of your life with the love of your life. Just don't forget us."

Cho replied so that she didn't have time to cry."You know I won't . I love you two girls as well."

...

Hermione slipped out the room and walked out the front door. She thought they would believe her when she said she was in the need for some fresh air. Harry gave her a dirty look as she left and Ginny nodded understandingly. The rest just waved it off with a promise to not go too far and to be alert at all times.

She needed to get out of there.

The elephant in the room for Hermione was the fact that she couldn't be sure Cho was enjoying her Christmas as much as the others. This was affecting Hermione's happiness too. She was suffocating just thinking that Cho was having a miserable Christmas. Hermione needed to see her. Whether that would be to cheer Cho up or to silence her doubts. It would put a smile on her face to see Cho happy.

But Hermione was sure that she wouldn't be seeing Cho today. So she decided a walk was the only replacement despite it not being nearly as close to as satisfying as seeing Cho.

But as Hermione was about to find out; it wouldn't be as unhelpful as she thought.

Hermione was just passing through the local park trying to find a place where she can have time to herself and think endlessly and undeterrably about Cho. A swing that was moving by wind movement alone caught her eye. It reminded her of the swing in her dreams but it didn't hang from a tree and this one was held up by metal chinks instead of rope. Hermione took a seat at it and swung on it gently. Here she felt no thought was off limits. She wasn't here to solve all her problems; she was here to analyse them, prioritise them and above all just think about Cho and imagine them together.

Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.

"Stupid swing. Why did I have to choose the squeaky swing?"

"It's speaking to you." Came a voice from the seat next to Hermione causing Hermione to whip her head around. "It's telling you that you need to cut down on the turkey or that rather nice rear end will become a rather fat one".

"Excuse me! I don't think I wanted your opinion. And if you think you find compliments about a girl's weight romantic then you seriously need to do your research." Hermione scalded the boy next to her.

"Hey don't be like that hot stuff. I was merrily saying you are one fine looking girl." The boy insisted.

"And you are one unattractive, needy little boy that needs to pester someone else. And DO NOT call me hot stuff again."

"Look..." The boy said invading Hermione's personal space. "...we might have gotten off on the wrong foot. So let me try again. Hi, my name is David...and you are one fine looking babe."

"That fine looking babe is mine..." Came a second voice. Both the boy and Hermione faced the newcomer and they saw one pissed off Cho Chang. Creating Hermione's expression of sheer happiness and David's expression of mild irritation.

"...and her name is Hermione." And quicker than Hermione had seen anyone draw their wand before, Cho had her wand in her hand and shot a sleeping spell at the boy who slid off the seat and crumpled to the floor.

"Cho! You just used magic on a Muggle. That is a criminal offense." Hermione informed her saviour astonishedly.

"And he was about to perform a sexual assault on you; I would say it was justified. Besides just perform a memory charm and he will never know." Cho said.

"That's not the point, you could've got in serious..." Hermione fretted wildly in front of Cho before something clicked in her head. "What did you mean by I'm yours?"

Cho grinned at Hermione. "I'll show you". Then before Hermione could even stutter, Cho had taken her hand and apparated.

Once Hermione finished dusting off her clothes, she looked around and saw a great garden with an evergreen tree dominating the centre. Cho led her under the tree.

"Cho, please, I wasn't supposed to come this far..."

"Please stay, I have something urgent I need to say"

"I have no choice. You are the licensed person here to apparate so I can't really leave until you apparate with me back."

"Oh" Cho mumbled awkwardly. "Yeah, right. Forgot."

Hermione could see her inner struggle so she decided to give her a break. "Come on then. Tell me."

Cho shuffled about trying to find confidence. It took only one reassuring look from Hermione and Cho had found it.

"First of all, did you mean what you implied yesterday. That you cared for me, liked me...loved me, from day one."

Hermione almost deflated in relief. She was so thankful that Cho really did understand what she meant last night. "I really think the actions speak louder than words in this one. I fought through confusing emotions, frustration at my friendship attempts being rebuked and battling my own best friend. All that just to get you. Something that I certainly don't do lightly. So in answer to your question; yes, I meant every word I said and every word that I implied."

Cho smiled at this. "Do you ever make a Christmas wish?"

Hermione frowned in confusion; at what she said and also what it had to do with the preceding question. "No."

"Well I do. I make a wish on Christmas Eve right before I go to bed. Do you want to know what I wished for?".

Hermione nodded.

I normally wish for happiness but this year I already had that. So I wished that it would last forever and that it could complete me. But the main thing I wished for..." Hermione was unaware until her shoulder blades touched the bark of the tree, that she was trapped. Cho was pushing with her hand to the side of Hermione's head, to support her weight over Hermione. The brunette had the choice to move away but she daren't move. As Cho leant her head in, she finished "...was that I could make up it to her. All the angst, guilt, confusion and frustration. By giving us both what we want, and that is each other."

By now only millimetres separated Hermione's lips from Cho's. Both set of eyes fluttering. Both set of lungs giving rapid breathes. Both hearts pumping at pace.

"Promise me one thing. Promise that you never EVER leave me, your fault or not. Do not leave me unless you come back alive and you. Promise me." Cho breathed.

Hermione threaded her fingers through Cho's hair. "I promise. Cedric didn't love you enough. Otherwise he would still be here. The one difference between me and him, is that I do love you enough. If death tries to take me it would be naïve."

Cho smiled warmly. "I'm so glad that compartment was empty."

"You know what, so do I"

Hermione closed the remaining distance. Lips touched featherly light at first but once initiated the passion ignited. Lips were firmly locked together. Hermione's hands were in Cho's hair and was stroking her face. Cho's were running over Hermione's back, hips and shoulders. Cho leant fully onto Hermione, who fought valiantly back. Tongues finally made their presence known and Cho's lips were pried open by Hermione. Their tongues met like magnets to paperclips. Their love was sealed, reciprocated and unleashed. Soon enough Hermione had slid down the tree until she was sat and Cho was on her knees, straddling her. They didn't part and breathing was done nasally. This was a powerful kiss that felt so right that both participants were baffled at how long they waited for it.

When they finally broke, identical smiles were on their faces.

"Wish granted" Hermione commented.

"Yep. Now I know why Christmas is so merry. Merry Christmas Mione."

"Merry Christmas Cho."

The second round of kissing was just as special and just as passionate.

...

An; I was gonna put more in here but this is the perfect place to leave it.

Hermione and Cho are not girlfriends either, yet. I don't think even in their lovey dovey minds that either of those characters would hurt Harry by doing that, so the break-up must happen first before any fluff can happen.

This chapter was a farewell to Rosalina and Obelix in this story as I have no more need for them. Obviously they will exist to Cho and Hermione but their journey starts soon and they have to work things out together. However this isn't the last you have seen of Obelix and Rosalina. They may prop up in some of my future works so this isn't goodbye forever.

Thanks for reading this chapter and I'm really glad you are all reading this. I myself am really glad about how this chapter turned out.

Until next time. Read, review and...well you know the drill.

Tbh...The Wait For Hermione And Cho.


	12. Chapter 12

hi readers

I have been thinking about a theme song for this story for a long time and I have finally found the perfect song, check the link below to see and listen to it or read the lyrics that I am about to upload.

John Legend- All of me

What would I do without your smart mouth?  
Drawing me in, and you kicking me out  
You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down  
What's going on in that beautiful mind  
I'm on your magical mystery ride  
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright

_[Pre-Chorus:]_  
My head's under water  
But I'm breathing fine  
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind

_[Chorus:]_  
'Cause all of me  
Loves all of you  
Love your curves and all your edges  
All your perfect imperfections  
Give your all to me  
I'll give my all to you  
You're my end and my beginning  
Even when I lose I'm winning  
'Cause I give you all of me  
And you give me all of you, ohoh

_[Verse 2:]_  
How many times do I have to tell you  
Even when you're crying you're beautiful too  
The world is beating you down, I'm around through every mood  
You're my downfall, you're my muse  
My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues  
I can't stop singing, it's ringing, in my head for you

_[Pre-Chorus:]_  
My head's under water  
But I'm breathing fine  
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind

_[Chorus:]_  
'Cause all of me  
Loves all of you  
Love your curves and all your edges  
All your perfect imperfections  
Give your all to me  
I'll give my all to you  
You're my end and my beginning  
Even when I lose I'm winning  
'Cause I give you all of me  
And you give me all of you, ohoh

_[Bridge:]_  
Give me all of you  
Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts  
Risking it all, though it's hard

_[Chorus:]_  
'Cause all of me  
Loves all of you  
Love your curves and all your edges  
All your perfect imperfections  
Give your all to me  
I'll give my all to you  
You're my end and my beginning  
Even when I lose I'm winning  
'Cause I give you all of me  
And you give me all of you

I give you all of me  
And you give me all of you, ohoh

/450p7goxZqg


	13. Chapter 13

An; hey everyone, I took a week off from even reading stories on FanFiction so obviously I haven't been writing. I decided to take a week off, what America likes to say 'Recess', from this story because I felt I didn't do that with CTB enough which is why I run aground on that one. I need to pause at major moments in the story so that I don't get carried away and write stuff irrelevant to the storyline and it allows me to think more clearly about the ideas I have and how I build the story from here.

Woohoo reviews. Thank you guys and girls. Someone asked a question about if Harry will get together with Ginny. The answer; Hell yes. This is canon-based which means all relationships bar Hermione and Cho are strictly canon.

Except for Ron's.

Ron's relationship will also defy canon because I have the perfect girl for him. It came to me after I heard J.K. publicly announce that Harry should've married Hermione which I totally agree with. I thought about how the series would've turned out if she had done that and I thought about a potential replacement in Hermione and Ron, Luna and Neville and Ginny and Harry. I will elaborate on this when I reveal who I have chosen for Ron in this story.

This is without a doubt the hardest chapter I have had to write because I don't want it to put Hermione in an evil and conniving light. Read it and review me your opinions on whether I succeeded in doing that.

Chapter 13: Harry and Cho's break-up

Both girls laid huddled up together on the ground, leaning back against the bark of the evergreen tree. Their legs were entwined like the roots of the tree itself. Hands were firmly locked together as if they had found their natural environment and refused to leave. Foreheads were gently resting against each other, eyes when open looked deep into their desired and closed again when they found the tranquility entrancing.

Both girls had accepted what nature intended. No more heartbreak (at least for a very long time), no angst, no denying, no chasing, no games, no competing, no pretending. They would have to be apart up until Cho could end things with Harry but Cho promised it would happen very soon then afterwards they have the rest of their lives to make up for it. But she didn't know how to do it.

She decided to voice her doubts to Hermione.

"Hermione?" Cho asked.

The brunette just hummed in reply, too peaceful to speak or open her eyes. Cho smiled at the face of her new lover. She didn't want to disturb her angel but she would prefer to be looking into her eyes when she asked her something this important. "Hermione love? Look at me a sec."

"Yes Cho." She said finally opening her hazelnut brown eyes.

"How do I do it? You're his best friend; how do I dump him so that his feelings aren't hurt?" Cho asked anxiously.

Hermione thought about it before saying. "I don't think that is possible. His feelings will be hurt no matter how you end it."

"I guess so. Then how can I dump him so that our friendship isn't destroyed but we are no longer a couple?"

"That's just it, when you do break up with him you will have no choice but to not be friends. At least for a while." Hermione announced.

"What? Why?"

Hermione slipped out of Cho's embrace and sat up. "Don't get angry at me. I have only the best intentions for Harry, us and this war too. If I tell you this I am only saying it because there is no other way for us to be together AND still have a chance of Harry winning this war."

Before Cho could ask what the war had to do with this, Hermione continued.

"I don't regret this, I couldn't ever regret this happening, but in reality we have chosen the worst time to reveal our feelings for each other and end your relationship with Harry. Harry is currently on a path where if any kind of betrayal was committed by the people around him, it could destroy his morale and therefore he won't defeat Voldemort. Which means we will lose the war. In Harry's eyes he is like you before you met Cedric and me. Throughout his life until he came to Hogwarts, Harry was never loved. He was abused, used, mistreated and neglected by his relatives who had and still have guardianship over him. He has known fear, pain and torment more than any other child should feel in their lives. He had no other family; apart from one man, his Godfather. In our third year when Sirius Black escaped, me and Ron feared for Harry's life worse than anything we faced in our previous years. Not because we thought Sirius was gonna kill him, but because we thought if all the family he had left hated him and he could only rely on his friends to guide him through life, no matter how hard we tried, we would lose him. So when Sirius turned up and surprised us all by telling us he loved Harry as if he was his own son, we thought we finally had a Harry Potter who could fight his way through the worst of anything. But since last year when 'he' returned, Harry has a severe case of paranoia, distrust and his temper has never been worse. We know it's just Voldemort in his head but that doesn't stop Harry thinking deeper into things than he should. This is why you can't dump Harry, he has to dump you."

"Wow, I didn't know about any of that. Poor Harry. But Harry is in love with me, how is he ever gonna dump me?" Cho asked.

"This is where you shouldn't get angry." Hermione said before taking a big breath. "You have to betray him."

Cho just scowled and screeched "I have to what?!"

"Just listen and I will explain..."

"No. How dare you make me do something like that when I would never do that to anyone, not even my worst enemy."

"I hear you Cho. I would never have suggested anything like this if there was some other way. I would never want to hurt my best friend like that. Just let me explain why this is the only way." Hermione begged.

Cho continued scowling but nodded and said "you have ten seconds."

Hermione swallowed and spoke."If you betray Harry then he will dump you. But it won't affect the way the war goes too much because even though he likes you, he doesn't know you well enough to be deeply hurt. He will see it as someone he should never had trusted and he is more inclined to shrug it off and move on. But if you dump him, he would think he failed to make you happy and he would think he betrayed you, and that would cut him deep. The only way for Harry to get over you is to hate you. He shouldn't hate you forever; just until you have proven you can be trustworthy again. Yes, I know I'm asking a lot of what you don't have to do this but it is the only way. You will lose a friend yes but you would then have me and also you would help us win this war. Think about the bigger picture."

Cho's scowl was still there but it had loosened a bit and the fire in her eyes, that Hermione secretly found enticing, had cooled down. "OK, I guess you officially dug yourself out of that one, for now. So how do I 'betray' him?"

Hermione took a relieved breath but replied with a still very much chastised voice. "Well, what is Harry really committed to at the moment?"

"Defeating Voldemort. YOU ARE NOT TELLING ME TO BECOME A DEATH EATER ARE YOU!" Cho shouted.

"No! No,no,no,no. Nothing like that. What is Harry really focused on that will help him defeat Voldemort and the death eaters?" Hermione insisted.

"Leading the DA."

"Exactly. The DA is still secret."

"So you're expecting me to rat out the DA. The very thing you helped to create and keep secret." Cho summarised.

"I know. I really don't want to do it. It takes away our advantage and we won't be properly ready for what happens in the future. But I will make sure I make it up to everyone and I will make it up to you especially."

"How?"

"I have a plan to get rid of Umbridge. That plan is safely living in the Forbidden Forest currently in our care as a favour to Hagrid." Hermione said wickedly.

"What is it?" Cho asked, excited to hear what creature or monster the half-giant has left Hermione to care for.

"It is...something you will find out in due course. But I think after they meet, Umbridge will be history. That means when the dust has settled we can get DADA back the way it should be or reopen the DA again." Hermione explained.

Cho smiled slightly before it dropped and she ducked her head, playing with the grass. "And how are you going to make it up to me? For practically making me be something I'm not, after all Harry won't be the only one to feel betrayed if you take advantage of me and use me like you are."

Hermione gasped sadly at Cho's comment and tears immediately sprung to Hermione's eyes.

"Cho. I'm so sorry. You're right. Look forget about what I said. I am a user. Don't betray him. I don't care what happens, as long as I'm with you. Forget about the war. If we lose, then I will spend the remainder of my days with you. Or alternatively you could stay with Harry and I will be alone due to my selfishness. It is what I deserve..." Hermione was babbling by the end when Cho gently shut up the brunette by cupping her hand over the girl's mouth and leaning in to look her soon to be girlfriend in the eyes.

"Hey" Cho said fondly. "Don't be so over dramatic. I don't think any less of you for what you said. I know you have the best of intentions for everyone in the long run. I am still gonna do it, my angel. You will just owe me big time, OK." She assured.

"OK Cho, I love you."

"I love you too"

Then with a sweet kiss the mini-tiff was over.

Hermione chuckled and said "Your angel?"

"Huh?"

"You called me your angel."

"I know". Cho blushed in embarrassment and said " If you don't like it I won't call you it again, you just remind me of an angel and...you're mine so...I called you my angel."

Hermione kissed her again. "I love it."

Then they swiftly went back to hugging.

They hugged for another ten minutes before Hermione declared that they had lost track of time and that the others would be worried sick if she didn't come back soon. Before they departed they agreed to not be intimate again until things with Harry was ended and then they were only to meet in secret until they felt ready to come out as a couple. And of course they needed one last quick snog to keep them slightly satisfied until they could officially be together. Then Cho apparated Hermione back to the park she was snatched from and they bid each other farewell.

...

Four months later.

"Why did it have to take this long? I thought we would've done the plan straight after Christmas?" Cho asked

"Right after Christmas. Hell no. We needed a few more months of preparation before we destroy the DA. Being prepared is our top priority." Hermione explained.

With her question answered Cho went back to her homework. "You know, I hate kissing Harry."

Hermione laughed heartily and replied "Harsh."

"No, I'm not saying he is a bad kisser...a bit...sucky...on the lips...but not bad. But the real reason why I hate kissing is for two reasons. I wish it was you and I feel guilty knowing what I'm going to do so kissing him feels wrong." Cho explained.

"I hear you. You are right to feel guilty. I feel guilty for mentioning it. This plan will be over today. Hopefully, it won't take a ridiculously long time for Harry to forgive you. But on the bright side if you're no longer closer to the others then everyone would be less suspicious of us secretly dating."

"That's a good thing? Why can't we tell people?"

"You know why." Hermione told her. "How betrayed would Harry feel if after he dumps you suddenly you're dating me?"

"Are you sure that's the only reason?" Cho asked dubiously.

"Of course." Hermione said disbelieving that Cho would think otherwise. "Don't think that I will ever be ashamed of this. Of us. Just coz I'm cautious of other peoples feelings doesn't mean I'm cautious of our relationship."

"I'm sorry but the plans and secrets aren't exactly upholding our relationship s meaning." Cho said truthfully.

Yes, I know. But in a situation like this, no matter how forgiving Harry could be, its better to keep this quiet. Not just for Harry but for us. "

Cho shrugged uncertainly and said "if you say so".

Hermione wanted to argue her case more but thought better of it.

The tension was thick for a long while. Hermione focused on nothing but her work until a warm sensation went through her hand that was near her ink pot. Cho had held it gently in her spare hand. When she caught Hermione's look she just muttered. "Problem?".

"You're holding my hand."

Cho looked at her hand and pulled a fake-shocked face. "So I am."

"You are aware about the rules against being intimate?" Hermione told her, warmness seeping through her words.

"Holding hands doesn't have to be intimate." Cho argued.

"It is for us"

Cho raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Do you want me to stop?"

"Of course not." Hermione playfully threatened. "Don't you dare remove your hand from mine."

"There you go then. Now get on with your work..." Cho said this bit sternly but turned soft when she added. "...my angel".

"No problemo...flower."

Cho snorted and said. "Really? What flower do you see that has black petals for hair?"

"They're around. I don't know its name but I'm sure there is one."

"Whatever it's name is, I'll pass on it."

"What can be my pet name for you?" Hermione moaned with a pout.

"Why do I need a pet name?" Cho replied mimicking Hermione's pout.

"Because I have one and you don't. And mine is so sweet. I want to return the favour."

"I don't call you angel because you need a pet name. No one needs a pet name. It just came naturally for me to call you that." Cho insisted.

"Fine, but if I find a cute pet name for you I'm using it. Whether you like it or not." Hermione warned.

"Oh dear...how do I stop this? Oh here's an idea..." Cho thought mischievously.

This was followed by a ten minute tickle war.

...

"Miss Chang, how pleasant of you to come and chat with me. Would you like some tea?" Umbridge offered sweetly.

"Ummm...sure. One sugar please." Cho replied.

With a flick of her wand Umbridge had the teapot pour itself and the sugar added and stirred whilst her attention was on Cho. She sat in her chair behind the immaculately tidy desk. The only thing breaking the silence was the meowls coming from the kittens on the wall. Then the tea and a saucer was placed in front of her.

"Now. What is it you wanted to tell me so urgently about?"

"Well Professor. Recently I have been attending the secret meetings that happen in the room of requirement. Up until now I have been OK with it but now I'm tired of sneaking around and I'm willing to give you some details." Cho started.

Umbridge smiled and said "My, my, my, what has brought about this turn of allegiance."

Cho really wanted to wipe the smile off Umbridge's face but she knew she had to keep her composure.

"They are hindering me. The meetups. I can't speak to any of my friends who aren't in the meetings, I have to be on time, the meetings are at very inconvenient times like during lunch or late at night, I'm falling behind on other subjects. I just can't deal with it. My education is my top concern and it is vital that I keep my grades up."

"How very sensible of you, But why not just leave and not testify against your friends to me? That's not to say it was the wrong decision, for you have done a very honourable thing even though your friends might not see it that way, but I just want a good picture of your reasons for doing this."

Cho sat there enduring the drone of Umbridge's sweet and truthless voice until it was time for Cho to answer.

"I just want my guilt free and personal life back. And quitting the meetings isn't as simple as just leaving. You are bonded through a contract and to leave or betray the group will result in something horrific happening to that student. However I'm willing to sacrifice my dignity by coming clean."

"And rightly so. Now you mentioned bonding?"

"Yes, the contracts are bonded through blood."

"That is very advanced magic and if I had my way that would be classed as dark magic. Who taught you of this procedure?"

Cho took a sip of her tea (that was sweeter than she wanted it) and answered. Inside Cho was panicking, she knew if she answered this one she could very much put Hermione in deep peril, so she decided to play dumb. Ratting out the DA is one thing, but ratting out Hermione is a totally different ball game, and is something Cho would never do no matter what.

"Miss Chang?" Umbridge asked politely but with a hint of impatience.

"Some older students looked it up."

"Do you know their names?"

"I'm afraid that I don't know them well enough. I'm not on first name basis with them".

Umbridge knew she was lying, possibly protecting a friend, but this girl had information and information was much needed, so she decided to move on.

"So tell me all you know about the group."

Cho went on to explain who the leaders of the group were, including Hermione (under orders from the girl herself), what happens when they meet up, how they are notified about the meetings and so on.

Cho had even told them a simple way to get through the room of requirement. She suggested that Umbridge would never find the students because the students asked for a room totally different to the room Umbridge would check but simply destroying the wall breaks the charms and the occupants are exposed.

When everything was out Umbridge stood up from her chair and made a beeline for the window. She looked thoughtfully out at the landscape beyond before speaking. "Thank you very much Miss Chang. What you told me was incredibly helpful and I will see to it that your life can become normal again. Good day Miss Chang."

"Goodbye Miss Umbridge."

"Wait."

Cho stopped and turned but Umbridge was still staring out the window.

"Your detention. Five o'clock this Saturday. Along with the rest of the DA. Now you may leave."

Cho saw this coming obviously, Umbridge wouldn't be lenient on any one in this situation but Cho kept up her play-acting by screeching "but I helped you. I should be rewarded not punished."

Umbridge turned and smiled at her. "I do agree you have done the right thing now, but it is too little too late for you to be rewarded. After all you were a member of the group and just because you betrayed your friends does not mean I will excuse the action of following them in the first place. Now Detention, Saturday, five o'clock. Good day Miss Chang."

...

"Bombarda Maxima" came the impatient voice of the High Inquisitor and the remains of the wall exploded and crumbled to the floor leaving the room and all its students bare. Once the dust had settled and the occupants of the room had acknowledged the danger that awaited them, Malfoy came into view with a vicious sneer on his face and a squirming Cho in his grasp. Hermione had to swallow down her threatening words before she experienced the circumstances of vocalizing with a dangerous tone Umbridge ordered. "Get them".

Then the group were rounded up quickly and easily as all the students had come quietly and with no fuss.

In the days that followed Cho had never felt more lonely. Bar the couple of times she spoke to Hermione, she was ignored and dismissed like she never existed. Even people who weren't in the DA had discarded Cho when they heard what she did.

And true to the plan Harry did indeed dump Cho, stating what she did was unforgivable. Cho cried that day not because she was dumped, because she intended that to happen, but because she lost many friends.

Cho had even avoided Hermione because her plan made not just Harry but everyone around her hate her. That didn't work out. As soon as Hermione realised Cho was avoiding her Hermione literally intercepted Cho in a corridor, pushed her behind a suit of armour in the darkest part of the corridor and kissed the older girl passionately and sorrowfully. Then she told her she was sorry for making her do that, sorry that she was being cast aside, promising her that she will make everything better, telling her how proud of her she was and that no matter what she always had her. Cho attempted to stay stubbornly upset with the brunette but her face when she begs for forgiveness or during bouts of hysteria is absolutely adorable. So much so that as soon as the little grin of amusement appeared on Cho's face, Hermione instantly knows she is forgiven.

During the rest of the week Hermione met with Cho twice more, encouraging her with kisses and caresses.

Soon enough the weekend had come and Cho joined the others in their five o'clock detention. She got the same punishment as the others but only got forty five minutes whilst the rest of the group got the full hour. This got her evil glares from all sides when Umbridge mentioned it to the others and Cho just wanted to melt into her chair and die.

On her way out, whilst caressing the sore message still throbbing in her hand, she had to avoid outstretched legs and bits of rubber, gum, paper and even spit as she left.

She thought if she waited maybe she could explain her actions to Harry. Even though it wouldn't be the truth, at least it was a way to defuse the situation slightly. She also needed to ask him a very personal favour in regards to Hermione without him suspecting something more deeper than friendship. So she stayed behind to wait out the final fifteen minutes.

As the classroom flooded out with students, each one giving her a mean glare (all except for Hermione who held only sympathy and love), Cho eagerly anticipated the appearance of Harry. He was the last to vacate the classroom. Cho attempted to talk to him but he simply moved out of her reach and swerved away.

How would she ever reconcile with a person she may not have feelings for but did consider a worthy friend?

She needed help. From someone who will know what to do. Obelix came to mind but she was under the weather and needed rest, Rosalina was too far away and Cho needed urgent advice.

...

"OK Everyone. Pots away and clear up your tables. Class is dismissed" came the bubbly voice of Professor Sprout.

Cho cleared up her work area and retrieved her bag. Once she was ready she left the room, alone of course.

To get back into Hogwarts she had to pass through Greenhouse one. That is where she saw Luna Lovegood feeding a Dracula Plant-eater bits of daisy.

Luna, from what Cho knew, had no animosity towards Cho. This was simply because the two barely knew each other and so what Cho did could not really affect Luna that much. And Luna wasn't the type to hate someone.

So Cho had nothing to lose out of talking to the girl.

Cho tentatively approached the blonde but didn't say anything until Luna turned to her and held out her fist. Cho for a second thought the girl was going to punch her so she flinched. But Luna just kept her fist in mid-air. When Cho sensed no danger and drew closer to her, Luna spoke.

"Hold out your hand."

Cho did, hesitantly albeit.

Luna released her balled up hand and a shower of crushed daisy petals rained onto Cho's palm, some sliding right off and floating away but the majority just made a pile in Cho's hand.

"It's better to talk to each other by occupying ourselves with something. Now we can talk whilst we feed the Plant-eaters." Luna explained.

"How did you know I wanted to talk to you?" Cho asked still inspecting the petals in her hand.

"You feel lonely. Cast aside for actions you regret doing but don't regret who you did it for. No one else understands why you did it and you are adamant that if the shoe was on the other foot, others would do the same. You want someone to speak out to other than your girlfriend. So you came to me thinking I would understand, and you thought right."

Luna said this whilst unconsciously feeding the Plant-eaters out of her hand.

There was no point denying what Luna said as she clearly had too much information about the situation for comfort and there was no need to ask how she knew her and Hermione were together because Luna can see things that no one can see, so surely that means things that we can see, she sees in more detail.

"You won't tell anyone will you?"

"I know a secret when I see one and this shouldn't be my secret to tell".

Cho let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank you".

"No problem. It looks like someone is getting a bit grumpy." Luna observed at the same time that a very nasty Plant-eater nipped Cho's hand.

"Oww. You bugger. Here." And Cho plucked a daisy petal out her palm and held it for the plant to eat.

"They are nice plants really. They just get irritable when they're hungry." Luna told Cho as she fed another petal to a plant that looked like he wanted to fight the one getting his share.

"Why are they red on top? Dracula Plant-eaters are completely black aren't they?" Cho asked.

"Not in the mating season."

"Plants can mate!"

"These can. They give birth to Dandelions you know."

"Really? Well, I guess when you look past the bitiness they are quite cute. It looks like they have red hair."

"It shows they're passionate and fiery. Just like red-headed people. I like redheads."

"Well personally I like silky black, like my hair. But I'm in love with a brunette. Her hair reminds me of a luscious forest, a place I would love to get lost in. I like a bit of mystery."

"I hope we both get to experience a life of mystery for you and passion for me."

"Me too".

They then fed the Plant-eaters in a comfortable silence.

Then Cho let out a sad sigh.

"What is it?" Luna asked.

"Oh it's nothing."

"It won't go away if you don't talk to someone about it."

"Neither will it go away if I do."

"Nothing to gain and nothing to lose."

'She has a point there' Cho thought.

"It's just..." Cho had really no idea how to express what she was feeling. Luna took the hint and blew her petals and Cho's out of their hands and walked away from the angry flowers who hadn't finished eating. They sat on a bench and Luna encouraged Cho to speak.

"This is no longer about loneliness is it?" Luna asked rhetorically.

"No. I know that people can't keep a grudge forever, especially if I haven't done it personally to them. No, it's about Hermione. I love her to bits. She loves me just as much. But death and danger doesn't love anyone. Hermione cannot possibly keep a promise that she has no control over. A year ago I was naïve enough to think that if someone loves me they would return to me unharmed. But now I've matured a bit and I think that every waking second that goes by knowing that Hermione's is in danger and a mistake or distraction away from death, I know that whatever happens is up to fate. And if fate thinks it is time for her to die, it will be so. I have experienced that once already. I don't think I can experience it again. So I am prepared to do anything to keep her safe. I tried to reconcile with Harry today just so I could plead with him that when it comes for him to finish Voldemort off, he would leave Hermione out of it. But of course because I have betrayed him, not to mention all of the DA, he won't speak to me. So it's down to Hermione. And I know that Hermione only thinks of one thing when her best friend needs her. So I don't know what to do?". Cho confessed.

"Yes you do. You've experienced the same experience before with Cedric. That time it had an unhappy ending. But do you know what I think? I think that you regard fate too harshly." Luna told her.

At Cho's confused look, Luna continued.

"Fate is a good listener. It does listen to what you say. But it can't mind read. So how is fate supposed to know how much you feel for someone if you don't show or tell them how much. That was why you probably lost Cedric, maybe fate thought you weren't enamoured enough with Cedric to lay your feelings down on the table so it underestimated the real love you felt for him. OR alternatively it might've seen what was to come and thought your second relationship would be much stronger because of that experience."

Cho was a bit skeptical about fate being that conscious-minded. Luna was speaking as if fate was a person. But maybe it WAS down to the fact Cho hadn't expressed her feelings to Cedric. Or maybe it was meant to be for Cho and Hermione and like Luna said, the Cedric experience just made their relationship stronger.

"OK. But that doesn't answer my question. What do I do about Hermione?"

"Exactly what you didn't do to Cedric. Tell her how much you love her. In the situation you are describing it could make all the difference to keeping Hermione safe."

"But I have already told her I love her. I say it all the time."

"But not how much."

"She knows how much."

"It doesn't matter. Remember you're not trying to convince Hermione that you love her. You are convincing fate."

Cho sighed in defeat. She flitted through everything whizzing around in her mind, evaluating everything, and conjuring ideas on how to breach the subject. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't sense Luna get up from the bench and swiftly vacate the room. When she eventually did look she looked about for her. Discovering she had gone encouraged Cho. The blonde clearly sent a message. Leaving the room in a conversation like this one was Luna language for 'get to it'.

...

"Psst"

Hermione stopped in the middle of turning the page to inspect her book, thinking she just ripped a page in it. But the noise came again and she swivelled around to search for it. She caught movement in the corner of her eye and got out of her chair to investigate. Hermione hadn't managed two steps before a familiar and impatient voice spoke. "Hermione, get that delightful arse over here this second."

That earned a grin from Hermione as she rushed behind the bookcase to find her girlfriend. As soon as she had Cho pulled her to her, smacking a lingering kiss on Hermione's lips ending it with a slight nibble on Hermione's bottom lip.

Hermione moaned in pleasure. "Well, what did I do to deserve that?"

"That was for everyday since we met on the train that I have been thinking about you."

"I hope they were all good things."

"A bit of a mix actually." Cho whispered. "Good things, bad things...and things that...well, let's just say it could be classed as either a very good thing...or very bad." Cho followed that up with a wink.

"You would make a great Gryffindor guy. Head always in the gutter." Hermione said, plucking at a loose hair sticking out from Cho's immaculate mane.

"That would be great. Then I would get to see you everyday."

"Awww. Thank you." Hermione purred. She was still attending to Cho's hair so she settled for a kiss on the temple.

Cho rolled her eyes. "As much as I find it cute you sorting my hair out, can we go and find a private place to do that. And other things."

"Yeah sure, right after I write two more paragraphs at least of my-"

"No. Can you knock it on the head? Please, I don't want to say what I need to say in here, where anyone can see us or hear us. Please."

Hermione saw the urgency in her girlfriend's eyes and took her hand. "Of course sweetheart. If that's what you want?"

"Thank you. Collect your stuff and I will take you some place even quieter and more private than the library."

...

"Wow, you weren't kidding were you? How come you always have secret places that are so romantic?" Hermione questioned in admiration.

"Because I AM romantic. Now sit."

Hermione joined her in the almost collapsed tree house that was only a few feet shy of the water below. Despite the danger the girls were in if the wood were to snap, dunking them both in the cold waters below, they were perfectly comfortable enough to just watch the ripples in the water and the mountains on the bank opposite the castle.

"Hermione. You know that I love you. But I've never really told you how much you truly mean to me. So I have decided to share with you every bit of the person you love today and whom loves you. My life, as you know, has not been the best. If you realised how much I am like Harry you would scarcely believe it."

Hermione waited for Cho, interruptions are not just not needed but are unwelcome .

"The reason I have not experienced much love is because even my parents didn't love me..."

An; Cho's story is to be concluded next time.

So Whatcha think. Did I do well? Or have I totally ruined Hermione's character? I hope not.

Not long left to go now. And this story will be jumping now to big canon-based parts of the story. All the way up to DH.

I wish this thing would never end but all good things do. Except for the HP book series (as J.K. is once again publishing another), possibly film series (if the new publications do well enough) and of course the HP universe that will live forever and stand tall above all other fanfics. Goodbye Twilight, LOTR and Hunger Games.

If you haven't guessed I'm a hardcore Potter fan. Is it that obvious lol.

Until next time...Auf Wiedersehen.

TBC...Cho's horrible history


	14. Chapter 14

An; hello again. End of term means more writing so that's the reason why this is up so quickly after the previous one.

Woooooooooohhhhhhooooooooooo. I'VE MADE IT TO UNI. I have a place on a course in Ipswich for Digital Film Production and I'm ecstatic. Once college is done I am onto much bigger and better things.

I realise that my timing in the last chapter compared to canon may be off, but I remember that the period after Christmas went really quickly in Ootp and I might have misplaced Hermione meeting Grawp in the timeline. If I have forgive me.

One person so far has told me they saw the hint in the previous chapter of who Ron will eventually date. Congrats to them for being correct.

Stay with me at the end, don't leave in a hurry because I have a very important question I want to ask the reviewers of this story. Its about a possible Crossover FanFiction being the new story when this is finished and if I get at least two or three more votes in encouragement then that story WILL get created.

Back to Cho's story now.

Chapter 14: Cho's horrible history.

"The reason i have not experienced much love is because even my parents didn't love me. Well, not really. Have you heard of the One-child policy in China?"

Hermione thought a second before answering truthfully. "Kind of. I know there is a policy to stabilise and reduce the population but other than that I'm not sure."

"You're right. But I will explain in more detail. The One-child policy was introduced to alleviate social economics and environmental problems. Basically in certain parts of China or people in different social classes you have limits on how many children you can have. In urban areas most families are under this policy. If you are lucky enough to have a daughter as your first child you could qualify for a second child. Breaching the policy earns you a hefty fine. Now, I was born just after the policy was introduced. Because my parents conceived me before the policy was introduced they didn't have to pay the fine but they either had to move abroad when I was born or put me up for adoption, raising me in another country and then they would live with their other child in China. Almost as if I was never born. You don't need three guesses to know what option they picked."

"That's terrible." Hermione blurted.

"That is China my angel. I'm not resentful of the country." Cho admitted "I was not adopted until i was six. And I would understand my parents situation if I didn't know these three things. One, I didn't know until I was four that my parents were wealthy. Certainly wealthy enough to pay a fine to keep their own daughter. But when they were asked if they would pay a fine to keep me, they refused. Two, I was dropped off at the adoption facility barely old enough to be out the incubator, so clearly they didn't think long and hard about it. And Three, my parents had perfectly willing adoption candidate relatives in Switzerland that could have raised me. The whole thing; no matter how deeply I think, no matter how hard I try to understand how they could've felt. None of what I just mentioned had any hint that my parents ever cared for me. They practically conceived and gave birth to me, just to wash the nine months away. They may as well have obliviated themselves to before I was conceived."

Hermione shifted closer, linking their arms together and resting her head on Cho's shoulder. "Well, even if they never loved you, I'm incredibly happy that they created you. What happened after that?"

"I grew up for six years in the adoption facility. Sure, the people there looked after me, but I would never really call it a show of love as they did it to all the other kids there. Neither would I say that my time spent there was a happy experience either. The adults never spoke to us really and when they did it was either an order, a greeting or in response to a question. They were more like teachers that fed and clothed us rather than foster parents. And the other kids were brats; always taking more food than was allowed meaning I had to go without, never considerate of people's privacy as they would casually walk into the bathroom, if it wasn't unlocked, with you. I never got time to read. I never got time to draw or write. I wasn't included in any games. I was always manipulated into giving them anything they wanted. They were violent, whether in a good mood or bad. It wasn't hell but it wasn't a home either."

"That sounds familiar; back in Muggle school I had a friend who was in foster care and she described something very similar to what you just said. Foster care is tough, especially if all the kids have learning difficulties like ADHD or autism." Hermione added, just trying to keep the conversation warm and try to make Cho comfortable to say whatever she wanted. Hermione needed Cho to tell her anything and everything about her. She felt despite being her girlfriend, bar the last two years of their lives, Hermione knew very little about Cho.

"It wasn't all bad though". Cho continued. "Two months before I was adopted, Rosalina was taken in. Her Italian accent was much stronger then and despite speaking a bit of English, she had a much harder time being spoken to in English. So she didn't speak to anyone. She was nine then, if I recall correctly. The reason why she chose to speak to me over everyone else is because I was very blunt with my words. It was easier for her to understand, all the other kids spoke excitedly or sarcastically or used slang."

"Did you two hit it off straight away?" Hermione asked.

"No. I wasn't a friend yet, just someone she could understand. Despite her speaking next to no English, she always had boys chasing her. I was jealous."

Hermione tensed hearing this but she composed herself quickly, hoping Cho never noticed. But she did.

"Oi, relax. If you will listen to what I was about to say you would have heard that I was jealous of HER. Not the other way round."

Hermione relaxed a tad. "I'm sorry but Rosalina has been there far longer than me, far closer than I have been until recently and I haven't mentioned this before but back when I was trying to befriend you I saw a letter she sent to you and it looked like a love letter. I know it wasn't but at the time it affected my confidence. I know you only consider her a sister and she the same. And that you want me not her, but I just...I'm sorry, continue with your story."

"Not before you understand that no matter how close I am with other people, no matter how suspiciously doting it seems or how much you question it, I will always, ALWAYS, choose you." Cho said, she said this cupping the girls chin and staring the brunette in the eyes, not blinking or losing the passion in them.

Hermione smiled before leaning in and grazing Cho's lips with hers. "Thank you."

"Where was I?" Cho asked.

"You were jealous of Rosalina." Hermione reminded her, repositioning her head back onto Cho's shoulder.

"Yeah. She had more attention in a week than I had in six years. And I hated how much she pretended to hate it. I could tell that she was loving the attention. A boy wanted to hold her hand so he tried to take it, she scalded him for not asking but she let him anyway. Don't get me wrong I didn't fancy the boys or anything but I hated how she got attention from girls too because they wanted to get close to the boys and surely enough she became the most popular girl out of all of us. She didn't let it get to her head, she still spent time with me but only at nights when others were asleep and all she would talk about was what this guy did and what that girl said. I ended up kicking her out my bed, literally and telling her not to speak to me again. She cried and ran off."

"I would've done the same to be honest. Girls gloating about their friends in front of people who don't have many or even any friends is inconsiderate. Just ask Lavender and she would tell you how much she knows not to do that to me again." Hermione told Cho. Cho laughed seeing the possible things Hermione would do to Lavender in her head.

"I will take your word for it." Cho chuckled. "The fame all ended for her though. She wet the bed and the other girls laughed at her, the boys suddenly turned cruel and mean. She came and sat by me, trying to apologize but I forgave her straight away. You wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because people have to stick together, especially when you lose everything you hold dear. She lost her parents and her popularity, I lost a family and a chance to be loved. Soon after that we were best of friends."

Hermione smiled and lightly pinched Cho in the arm. "See, even at six years old you were a mature little girl."

Cho rolled her eyes and said "Shut up."

"Tell me, what happened when you were adopted?" Hermione asked, loving the story that Cho was gracing her with. It was soothing to be in a location like this, just the two of them, enjoying each other's company and sharing a tale of their lives. Everything outside this time and place was insignificant and forgotten.

"Obviously at first I was thrilled. I would finally get a family. Rosalina was glad for me of course, but you couldn't blame the girl for begging me, my foster carers and even my new guardians to take her with them. We promised to be pen pals, said a wistful goodbye and I left conflicted between guilt and sorrow at leaving Rosalina behind and joy and excitement at getting new guardians."

"That sounds wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time." Hermione commented.

Cho seemed to tense up. Her confident body language shrinking down into a vulnerable stature. She clung to Hermione like a lifeline and she closed her eyes, unable to even speak.

Hermione instantly wriggled out the embrace only to pull a despairing Cho into her chest clutching her tight. The Asian girl had done so well to share this story with her lover, and Hermione was adamant that Cho would finish it, even if she had to literally push her girlfriend through it.

"Come on baby, you were doing so well. Whatever it is can't hurt you no more."

"I'm sorry, I can't continue...I will try another time" Cho sounded so small and it brought Hermione to tears.

"No! You can do this Cho. I'm here, nothing bad is gonna happen if you tell me. I will never let it happen."

"But I can't!" Cho was crying now.

"Yes you can. Please, if you try another time you will freeze up again, the same for the next time and the time after that and the time after that. If you don't say it now you will never overcome this."

"But I'm scared!"

"I hear you baby, I know. But I'm here. I will soak up every tear, kiss them away, I will make it all better. I promise."

Cho pushed herself out of Hermione's grasp "How! How can you make it all better?!"

Hermione attempted to pull her back in but she swatted her hands away. "You want to hear the story? Fine. Not long after leaving that place, the fairytale ended. I was not getting looked after by a caring and loving family, I was getting enslaved by a group of anti-christs. I was a human house elf to them. I slept on a prickly doormat with nothing but a tea towel for warmth. I had to wear the clothes I was adopted in constantly, they burned all my other clothes. I was the cook, the maid, the cleaner, the servant. I was fed scraps and leftovers. I was only allowed to drink to see if the milk had gone off, if it had i drank it anyway because I was constantly thirsty. I was beaten everyday for no reason at all. The only day I was allowed to act like a perfectly normal girl was an inspection day from the adoption facility. I was cleaned up, fed well, dressed, refreshed, and was forced to pretend I was happy. Every month the inspector came to check on me and I was the picture of happiness. Soon the visits came few and far between until they stopped. My only friend I had in that time was Obelix. I found her injured in the bush when I was seven and brought her back into the house. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be here now. When my Hogwarts letter arrived my guardians tried to keep it hidden from me. Luckily Obelix brought one to my window one night. She snuck me out to visit Diagon Alley and we hid my wand and supplies in the bush where I found Obelix. We waited until the day came and we both ran away to get to Kings Cross. Once my guardians realised I had made it to platform nine and three quarters they had no choice but to let me go the rest of the years. So Hogwarts really was my home. I met Rosalina there too. She was already in fourth year. But at the end of the year I wished I could stay at Hogwarts, I even asked Dumbledore but when he contacted my guardians about it I knew straight away I would go back there."

Hermione had recovered slightly and asked. "Why didn't you tell Dumbledore what they were doing?"

"I was scared to. I feared they would find me and the beating would be worse than ever."

"But you kept silent for five years. Surely you know that just one word about this to Dumbledore and you're free of them and they go to Azkaban?"

"I realise how easy it might sound to you, but to me it is more difficult. My guardians knew the older I got the more aware of my position I would become and the more likely I would tell someone. So before third year they arranged a marriage, to their biological son, for when the wedding contract would be conducted. One letter from Dumbledore would not be enough because a wedding contract has to be completed. Either the conductor of the wedding contract, my foster father, cancels the wedding or the wedding is complete. There are no out clauses or fine print details. The participants and conductors are immune to government interference which includes arrest. If a participant dies then the contract magically kills the other. If a conductor dies the contract chooses a replacement. There is no way around it."

"There must be."

"Its an ancient magical contract that has been forgotten but not terminated. There is no way around it...once the contract is signed. Luckily, they haven't had to sign it. They are blackmailing me with it. If I tell, my foster father will conduct and authorise the wedding and the son will sign it. Him being male means only one person has to sign the contract for the immunity to take place. They don't even want me marrying their son, they are only taking advantage of the immunity. There won't be a wedding, but the family will be immune from prosecution until they die."

"That also means when the boy dies, you do too". Hermione commented. She hated how smart Cho's guardians had been.

"Now you see why I never told anyone." Cho said. "You also see why I have to go back there when the year ends, and again until I leave school where they will enslave me forever."

Hermione thought back through everything. The day on the train Hermione saw Cho hiding her arm, obscuring the beat marks and bruises on them. Cho had no one to meet her at the platform when last year ended. Cho's picture of the perfect family had indistinguishable faces for the parents. That also explains why Cho seemed ashamed of it. It suddenly clicked.

"That's the reason why you wouldn't accept my friendship? It wasn't because you were stubborn and was still sad over Cedric, it was because you were scared that I would find out you were being abused and would tell Dumbledore." Hermione proclaimed.

Cho sniffed. "I fancied you right from the start Hermione but I didn't admit it to myself. Cedric was still in my mind, but I needed you to believe he was the reason why I was so stubborn. And I lied during that duel session, I have experienced dark and nightmarish things. That night we flew on the broom I said it was trust issues that kept me from being your friend, this is the reason why I didn't want to trust said I should tell you the truth but I refused and forced her not to tell you..."

Hermione remembered Obelix almost letting slip what Cho was saying. "How did you know that i was gonna meet Obelix?"

"I didn't. But I knew she wanted to befriend you. Think about it, Obelix was on the same perch Hedwig was on, that was because she knew that was your usual owl that you mail with. She knew you worked out my birthday and would try and discreetly get me something, Hedwig would be too obvious so she planned for you to meet her in the owlery."

"That sneaky little owl." Hermione said.

Cho chuckled. "I know that I have misled you and lied to you but I had no real choice."

Hermione turned serious again and took Cho's hands. "Say no more, I perfectly understand. But you know that now you have told me, I cannot turn a blind eye to this. I know what the consequences you face are but are you seriously gonna tell me to not help you, after telling me you are being enslaved. I don't even like house elf slavery; human slavery is just barbaric. I will not let my girlfriend be forced to be a slave to anyone. And the only person I want you to marry is me in the future when we survive the war. Contract or no contract, you will not go back there again. Do you understand me?"

Cho smiled toothily, a tear slipping out her eye and rolling down her cheek. "Perfectly".

Hermione cupped Cho's face in her hands, swept the tear away with her thumb and told her softly " I'm so proud of you. Telling me all that was incredibly brave. I'm so sorry for everything you have experienced. Allow me to make up for all of it."

And in one swift motion Hermione had planted a scorching kiss on Cho's lips. Both melted completely into the kiss and as soon as tongues were introduced, fingers were in each others hair and arms were on hips and around necks. They parted lips for breathes and were instantly back to expressing their love through their mouths.

All Cho was thinking, if she could think at all, was that 'if what I just did doesn't prove I love her then Merlin help me.'

An; hey, this chapter did what Titanic, Marley and me, Green Mile, all failed to do and that is make me cry. I read it back and I really thought deeply about everything I had previously wrote. Summarising and dramatising it really got to me I guess.

I was trying to work out through Maths if Cho was born when the One child policy was introduced.

The policy was introduced in 1978.

Cho is in sixth year which means she must be 16 or 17

OotP was set in 1995 or 1996.

So Cho should have been old enough to be born just after it was introduced. But if any Chinese readers out there know otherwise or think I have made a mistake, feel free to let me know.

Now, the crossover.

There are three stories I had in mind to write following this one.

One of them was the crossover, a female werewolf OC, or Pansy/Hermione obscure situation.

I really like the idea of my crossover one though. So I will put it down to a vote. Right after I tell you a brief summary of the stories.

_Harry Potter/Pirates of the Caribbean._

_Love, Worlds and Loss._

_Hermione Granger/Elizabeth Swan._

_Two former best friends reunite through a passage to an alternate universe. One universe full of witches and wizards, the other pirates and legends of the sea. When they meet they find out that they think more of each other than they thought. But do you give up the one you fell for so she could return to her own world? Or do you give up your own to follow her? Elizabeth has to make this decision and it must be the right one because once Hermione returns the passage will close forever. Losing her world or losing her lover._

_OFC werewolf/magicless world_

_Magicless _

_OC/Hermione Granger_

_The world is thrown into chaos when a supposed asteroid crashes with earth and an energy pulse wipes away everyone's magical core, all except Hermione. As the wizarding world turns on one of their war heroes of the second wizarding war, the order arranges a secret guardian to protect Hermione whilst she is on the run. But in a world void of magic and selfish desires to regain their magical abilities, who can you trust? Will love blind people's views? Is there a mastermind behind this new world? What secrets does Hermione's guardian have?_

_24 hours_

_Pansy/Hermione_

_Pansy and Hermione have 24 hours to save the world. 24 hours to settle their differences. 24 hours to let loose their real feelings for each other. No Voldemort. No death eaters. Similar to LOTR. A quest to find the object that will change their world, so they can destroy it._

As you can see this will definitely be an adventure romance. I tried this before with CTB and failed. Now I can try again. So tell me what one you prefer

TBC...Cho's promise.


	15. Chapter 15

An; hullo again. Another chap for this fic.

This chapter is the penultimate chapter before we finish the Ootp storyline. There will be one to two chapters set in HBP and another two in DH. BEFORE A MASSIVE EPILOGUE THAT I CAN'T WAIT TO WRITE!

That means that we are in the last leg of this story, just five chapters left after this one.

There is no reference to canon in this chapter until the very end.

Chapter 15: Cho's promise.

"Luna, how earth did you find us?" Cho asked, unbelieving that anyone could find one of her secret places without her leading them there.

Hermione sat beside her cross legged, with her head resting back on Cho's collar bone and Cho's arm draped around her neck. She was far less astonished to see Luna and far more annoyed.

"The lake lulled me here. The Water Friglets draw you close you know; the trouble is you have to have the wherofall to fight the attraction, otherwise it will drag you in and drown you." Luna explained.

"But we have been here an hour already and we have felt no pull." Cho told her. She caught Hermione rolling her eyes. One hard look and she stopped.

"But of course. You had love to occupy your attention. Without that I would dread to think what would have happened to you."

Hermione just glanced at Cho that was saying 'Are you seriously listening to this jibble?'

Luna was vacantly bent over trying to delicately snap a stick from an overhanging tree. She apologised to the tree afterwards and turned to the water. She bent to the knees and held the stick out over the water below. She lowered the stick to the water and when it broke the surface, proceeded to trail it in a figure eight pattern.

Hermione soon forgot the girl was there. She shifted a bit; unfolding her legs and snuggling up to Cho's upper body. She laid her head on Cho's chest again and let her eyes flutter closed.

Cho continued to watch Luna draw patterns in the water. From donuts to spirals. From crosses to crescent moons. Cho was curious to know what the young Ravenclaw was trying to achieve by wading a stick through the water. It clearly wasn't a absentminded motion or something to help her think; she was focussed on putting as much concentration into creating the patterns as accurately as she could. And Luna may seem whimsical but everything she did had a purpose.

So when Luna draws a pattern in a lake with a stick, she is doing so for a reason.

Cho didn't want to be rude though so she let Luna continue, until her curiosity got the better of her and she finally asked "Why are you doing that for Luna?"

Luna almost seemed surprised that she asked, maybe she thought it was obvious what she was doing. She replied with "Ridding the water of those Water Friglets. If you banish them correctly they won't reappear until after you are gone, so you both will be safe."

In a weird way it almost seemed sweet that Luna would do that for their protection, even though Cho knew they were in no immediate danger in the first place.

"Thank you Luna. I appreciate it." Cho told her. Then she gave a very comfortable Hermione's head a shove with her shoulder and she, still too comfortable to open her eyes, too thanked Luna, albeit lacking conviction and enthusiasm.

"You are both welcome." Luna looked down again, decided the job was done and reattached the stick to the tree with magic. "I will leave you both to your tranquility, I'm gonna get some pudding. Want some?"

"Not for me. Thanks anyway. Hermione?"

"Hmm?"

"Want some pudding?" Cho asked.

Hermione made a noise which was her too comfortable way of saying 'No, thank you'.

Luna just smiled at them. "No better time for me to leave and you to ask Hermione a question, huh Cho?" Luna then left before Cho could respond.

"I'm glad she's gone." Hermione said relieved.

"Oi, that's not nice." Cho scalded.

"She ruined our quiet time, and she is a nutcase."

"Hermione!"

"What she did?"

"Not really judging by the fact you look as comfortable as a cat in a woolly jumper, and don't call her a nutcase."

"It isn't my fault that your body heat was a gift from heaven and she talks about stupid, impossible creatures that no one can see and no one has ever recorded its existence."

"Yeah so the creatures are illogical, that doesn't give you the right to belittle her and her beliefs."

Hermione lifted her head up and opened her eyes to look into Cho's."Look, it isn't that I'm close minded, or that I dislike her because of what she believes in. I actually respect that even though she is tormented for her...let's call it, exuberant nature, I respect that she feels proud and confident of what she believes. It's the way she justifies or explains the stuff she believes that really irks me. It is all too sentimental, too whimsical. She has showed no physical proof, expressed no intelligent theories based on what she believes and she basically pities you because we don't see her way."

"I see your point. The thing is though, what you're seeing is the surface. Luna has this eccentric front that everyone sees, but nobody looks further than the surface. You can dress it up all you want with words but at the end of the day, you ARE being close minded." Cho told her. Hermione pouted in chastise.

Cho continued with "Do you know who told me to talk to you about what I told you earlier? It was Luna. She had even already guessed that me and you are an item. And she was kind enough to even swear to secrecy about it. If you saw Luna just now, which you didn't, you probably would have seen a crazy girl poking the lake with a stick. Do you know what I saw?"

Hermione shook her head.

"I saw myself. In the foster home and back you-know-where. A girl living a life in solitude, trying to find companionship. She has her father yes but a single person in a young girl's life doesn't make too much difference. And do you think Luna was born saying the 'jibble' as you called it? Do you really think her first word was Wrackspurt?"

"No of course not-"

"Exactly. She was born and raised into it. Is that saying her father did wrong by teaching her these ways? That her dead mother did wrong?"

"No."

"Then can you really blame her for what she became?"

Hermione hung her head. "No I can't".

Cho leaned forward and grasped Hermione's face in her hands. "Most people have no choice in who they are. When you look past the surface you will find a kindhearted girl who gives great advice, with a innocent outlook on life and a willingness to share it with the world. But most of all, there is a girl who does all that for the hope that one day people will thank her and return the favour, the people she calls frienface

Hermione nodded apologetically. "No one ever has it easy do they?" Hermione said rhetorically. "I'm sorry. I will apologise to her if that's what you want."

"No, there is no need. Just be nice to Luna. If you ever hear about her barmy theories again just pretend, pretend to believe her and understand her. If you don't believe in something, just pretend. I have been doing that and before you know it you will see what I see too."

"I hope so" Hermione said. "Can I have that hug back now?"

Cho chuckled and said "Be my guest".

Hermione's head landed back on Cho, but this time Cho wrapped her arms around the brunette and rested her chin on Hermione's forehead.

They both lay there for another five minutes of comfortable silence. The silence was broken when Hermione suddenly remembered something Luna said before she left.

"What question was Luna talking about?"

"Pardon"

"She said now would be the perfect time to ask me the question. What question is that?" Hermione asked. Cho looked down to see Hermione looking up at her with a cute frown.

"Oh that. The question. Well, I don't really know how to ask it." Cho confessed.

"Start with what it is about."

"That is the difficult part." Cho searched for an appropriate starting point. "OK, you are in the Golden Trio right?"

"Duh"

"So you get up to many adventures. You always have. Which ever one of you have had a problem you all have tackled it together."

"Yes, I know"

"You all get injured at some point. You all have almost died multiple times. But you still fight as one. And you will continue to in the future."

"I don't need a history lesson about my own life thank you,Cho"

Hermione pointed out.

"Just bare with me. You three are part of something that you can never leave or part from. You hold a connection that other friends would kill for. And you don't regret it, neither do you wish it to end. It's what you chose-"

"Cho, for Merlin's sake, I love you dearly but right now you are annoying me by beating around the bush. Will you ask the bloody question before I pinch it out of you." Hermione threatened.

"Can you make it the Golden Quartet?" Cho asked finally.

Hermione just blinked. "Sorry, you have lost me."

"I want to be with you at all times when you go on your adventures. I want to fight beside you, Harry and Ron. I want to help you with research. I want that friendship connection that is unbreakable and everlasting. But most of all I want to make sure that every time we do something dangerous I have a chance to keep you safe, just like you would do for me. Can I join you guys in the Golden Trio?"

Hermione had a look of shock on her face. Then suddenly she shot up out of off Cho's arms and stood. Then she erupted.

"Absolutely not! You must be out of your bloody mind! There is no way I am putting you in harm's way! The DA is fine but joining us on adventures that almost guarantee death and does guaranteed injury, that is something I will never let you do!"

Cho scowled before retaliating "Why not?!"

"Because I need you alive and safe!"

"So do I! I need you alive!"

"I have had years to deal with situations like those, and I never asked for them. I did it for Harry, same as Ron."

"I will do it for him too!"

"IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT!"

Cho wanted to diffuse the situation massively, so she swallowed and asked calmly. "Look my angel, just calm down. Let us talk about this properly without shouting at each other."

"There is nothing to talk about! You are not putting your life at risk on my watch! That's final!" Then Hermione stormed towards the door. But before she had fully left the room, Cho gave her last word.

"If I can't go with you then so be it. But if I can't you have a decision to make. It's either me or the Golden Trio." Cho spoke sincerely and stood confident, even as she saw Hermione return her gaze with a very hurt look. Tears started to pool in her eyes.

"Of all the things...I ever thought you could say...I never...ever thought...you would ever...say that to me." Hermione told her, hurt pouring into every word.

"Then you know I am playing hardball with this. I mean every word. Leaving me alone whilst Death Eater after Death Eater are hunting you three down, it's unfair. You once said that Cedric didn't love me enough, otherwise he would be here. If you die, you become a hypocrite. You cannot guarantee that every time you leave you will come back. And if you don't you know exactly what is going to happen. You and I both don't want each other to die; so why are we leaving each other behind..." Cho reached for her locket dangling on her neck, knowing exactly what the vision inside it was focused on "...when we both could keep each other safe?"

Hermione didn't wipe away the stream trickling down her cheek. "Do you think it would be any better to see me killed in front of your eyes? Even if you did come, you can't defend me all the time. At some point I will have to fight one-on-one with someone and you might see me struck down and killed. Do you think you would prefer seeing that..."

"I think it's war and things like that can and will happen at some point. I'm not a warmonger Hermione, I don't want to be in the trio because I want to fight. I just want to know the girl I love more than anything is with me to cry on my shoulders when things get tough, and vice versa. Instead of telling you once and waiting until you come back, if you come back at all, that I love you, I could tell you every day. Kiss and hold you everyday. If either of us died we would have had the chance to grieve properly, how can I grieve properly when I don't even get to see your body?" Cho choked up tears on the last syllable and didn't even try to hold them back after that. In seconds Hermione had closed the distance and crushed Cho in a hug. Both girls wept and wept. They whispered apologies into each others ears. Sorry for shouting. Sorry for fighting. Just sorry for everything in general. Then followed whispers of 'I love you's'.

Then finally Hermione pulled away but then slid her hand in Cho's rear jean pocket whilst she wiped at her eyes. "Look at us, and I called Luna daft." She said with a smile.

Cho chuckled. "So will you think about it?"

Hermione nodded. "If it means that much to you yes. It will take some persuading and explaining to the boys. You might be my girlfriend, close friend as far as they know, but you weren't close with Ron and him and Harry both think you betrayed them. Also you aren't a Gryffindor and you might not always be of use. But I will talk to them. What I do know is you can't join us until we come out as a couple. Is that OK?"

"I will take it." Cho relented.

Hermione squeezed her hand in Cho's back jean pocket and smiled. "No wonder Harry liked doing this so much." She rubbed and stroked Cho's bum through the jeans and Cho giggled.

"Harry didn't have educated and adventurous hands like yours, my angel". Cho admitted.

"I want to explore what is mine, my...treasure?" Hermione offered uncertainly.

"Nay, I don't think so Captain Brownbeard, savvy" Cho humorously dismissed.

"I will find a pet name." Hermione told her defiantly.

"Oh no you won't" Cho replied in a sing-songy voice.

"Just you wait"

...

"Thanks for everything Luna. I wouldn't have done it without your advice." Cho thanked gratefully, watching Cho seeming to feed air.

Luna bypassed the thank you to comment on the latter part of Cho's statement. "You would've told her eventually, you always were thinking of telling her your hidden secrets. You just either didn't know how to say it or didn't have the push to say it. So I really just gave you a friendly shove."

"Thanks anyway."

"I would say it's my pleasure but it's more yours and Hermione's pleasure than it is mine."

Cho watched the radish that Luna was feeding to the air disappear and was replaced by a crunch of teeth chomping on said radish. 'Well, Luna did say they were invisible. Guess everyone was wrong for saying the magical creatures that Luna knew didn't exist.'

"How did she take it?" Luna asked, although Cho suspected she already knew the answer to that question.

Cho winced at the memory of Hermione spitting fire at her not half an hour ago. "She was a bit hesitant to start with, but she eventually agreed to ask Harry and Ron. I think it's hardly likely that they will agree with her though. For obvious reasons."

"I had my doubts but for Hermione I'm sure they will support you."

"Support yes,eventually. But join them on their adventures, not so sure."

"It's not all about the Golden Trio anymore is it?" Luna said. "The DA will have their part."

"Luna, that's not the point. The DA could follow Harry to the moon and back, none of them would ever be as close as those three are. Because of that I cannot protect Hermione like I really want to."

"You both are hellbent on protecting each other, really all you are doing is making yourselves less safe. So your protectiveness is what will get you both killed. If your application to join the other three in their dangerous expedition is rejected, you both should just agree to let one person in your relationship be your guardian angel. That will most probably be Hermione, wouldn't you think?"

"I am not a damsel in distress Luna."

"I'm not saying you have to be. Just let Hermione be able to protect you and everyone else. She can't do that properly if you put yourself in harms way."

"But it's okay for her to be in harm's way? Cedric tried that and looked what happened." Cho was backing down a bit in submission, leaving just her bitterness to leak out.

"Cedric had a contract binding him to be in harm's way, you can't hold that against him. You know that. What you DON'T know is that Hermione has a hypothetical contract binding to the Golden Trio. She never intended to be strung into every hazardous and life-threatening situation. She couldn't back out once she started because she was in too deep. She, just like the other two, were bonded together by accident if you will. They, as friends, were drawn to danger and peril. Just like fate made it hard for you to find love and care; it too tested their friendship time and time again with things that would most certainly destroy a much more fragile friendship. Hermione's life is destined for the Trio. You on the other hand are not. You have fulfilled part of your destiny, to find love for the first time in the arms of the person who fought for it. Your destiny now is to make sure the one who fights, has the love she needs to help finish it. In a way, showing Hermione how much you love her, is your way of protecting her."

Cho huffed in irritation. "I hate how I love her so much." Cho kicked a stone to demonstrate her frustration. "Loving someone so much means that inevitably they are danger prone."

"Cho, please do not kick stones; I'm sure the Thestrals are too polite to say anything but really it spooks them." Luna asked politely. "And you're wrong and a liar. You love how much you love Hermione and Hermione was danger prone long before she met you."

Trying to change the subject, Cho asked. "What's a thestral?"

"This beautiful creature right here." Luna said patting mid-air it seemed. "Terribly misunderstood just because you can only see them if you have seen someone pass away."

"Oh" Cho realised. "It's kind of a good thing I can't see it right?"

"I suppose. But they are quite beautiful." Luna said, feeding it another piece of vegetable Cho couldn't recognise.

Cho thought on the comment and realisation dawned on her that Cho must have seen her mother die, as Cho couldn't think of anyone else that Luna knew who had died. Cho, however, never vocalised this.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere else?" Luna asked.

Cho replied with a baffled expression. "Should I be?"

"Well, seeing as you are resigned to no longer hoping to accompany Hermione on her adventures, maybe you should tell said girl the change of plan. But whilst you are at it find your own little attempt to keep Hermione safe whilst she is out saving the Wizarding world." Luna explained.

Cho really had no idea. She toyed with her locket; twiddling the chain around her index finger. Cho looked down at her fiddling (something she tends to do whilst thinking) when an idea sprung into her head. From that idea she told herself not to get ahead of herself but the more she thought about the idea, the more she saw it working. With every moment Cho dwelled on the idea, her smile spread until her cheeks were splitting and her eyes glistened happily. She finally let out a shrill scream in delight, unaware of Luna jumping out of her skin. Luna recovered and tried to calm down the thestral, of what Cho knew anyway. Before Luna could ask about the sudden reaction that startled them so, Cho had sped off through the trees.

She was going to find the one she loved and promise to protect her. But first, to the library.

...

Hermione entered the library, scanning the aisles for a mane of silky black hair. She spotted her at Hermione's usual table by the first window opposite the door. She just finished having her nose buried in a book, wrote down something on her parchment and stood up to presumably return the book to its place.

When she came back Hermione had sat at the table across from Cho's seat. "What are you studying for? I can help you whilst I do my Arithmancy home-"

Before she could finish she was pulled out of her seat and into a tight hug from Cho. "Hello my angel, how are you?" Cho asked excitedly.

"I'm...OK." Hermione said taken aback by the hug.

"Good, Good. Sit. We can study together." Cho released Hermione so she could sit again.

"Cho, why are you in such a good mood?" Hermione asked.

"Coz you're here silly. Can't I be happy to have a girlfriend as pretty, smart and loving as you." Cho defended herself.

Through Hermione's blushed cheeks, she replied "Thank you Cho. But I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ruin your good mood."

"Oh?" Cho replied conversationally.

"You wanted me to ask the boys if you could be part of the Trio. It was a resounding no. Even if you hadn't betrayed Harry, he still wouldn't have let you. Basically we started it as a trio now we finish it as one." Hermione informed her.

"Oh. Never mind, forget it. I gave up on the idea anyway." Cho told her.

"What!?" Hermione blurted, shocked at the sudden change of mind.

"I have a better idea."

"No! I meant I agreed to ask about it after ages of you persuading me and suddenly I find out you change your mind like it was nothing!"

"I was thinking with my heart, not my head. But like I said, my new idea is better" Cho answered confidently.

"And what is this 'brilliant' idea that you will most probably change your mind about in like an hour?" Hermione asked with fake interest, her arms were crossed.

"There is no need to be sour about it."

"No nee-" Hermione started disbelievingly. "I could have ruined my friendship with the other two forever if I wasn't lucky. I deserve to be bitter if my time is carelessly wasted."

Cho hung her head slightly in guilt looking at the table. "OK, for what it's worth, I apologise for wasting your time and jeopardising your friendship with the boys. Luna made me see the error of my ways earlier."

"Luna again. Why do you listen to her over me?" Hermione complained.

"I don't know, she just gives excellent advice."

"OK, let me rephrase. Why do you TRUST her over me?" Hermione asked accusingly.

"I don't. I trust you over anyone."

"Then why do you force me to back down and then submit to Luna? Do you doubt me, is that it?"

"Hermione, I don't want to fight you. I'm really sorry Ok." Cho answered.

Hermione didn't reply but she had stopped arguing. She was however sulking and ignoring any interactions with Cho.

Cho sighed thinking of a way to make Hermione forgive her. She smiled mischievously and she slowly ducked and disappeared below the tabletop. Hermione was unaware until she sensed movement behind her chair.

"Don't you even think about it."

"Think about what?" Came Cho's voice from around Hermione's seat.

"What you're about to do"

"What am I about to do?" Cho's head came up behind her, peering over the brunette's shoulder.

"Cho." Hermione warned, but her lips were curling up slightly.

"I'm not doing anything, honest." Cho was now fully behind her. Cho hands were hovering over Hermione's waist.

"Cho, you'll get us kicked out."

"I have no idea what you are on about. Hermione, I think I've lost control of my hand." With that the hand clutched onto Hermione's waist, tickling the nerves there and making the Gryffindor squirm.

"Hermione, I can't stop it! Help me!"

Hermione was splitting her guts with laughter but she was urgently trying to escape Cho's hand and doing anything to not scream in laughter that would result in getting them kicked out or even barred for a week. Cho intensified the attack by applying her second hand to tickle the left side of Hermione's waist. This time Hermione yelped loudly, luckily Madame Pince missed it. Cho realising Hermione was bound to explode into laughter any moment soon. She cast a Bullatunter Sonor charm, encasing them both and their work area in a soundproof bubble. Then, as if she was timed to release the concophany of laughter as soon as the bubble was in place, Hermione let out a plethora of loud guffaws. Cho was now tickling her so intensely Hermione was unable to remain on the seat. She slid of and sat on her legs, but Cho didn't stop there. Cho tickled on until Hermione was on her back, fighting a losing battle to entrap Cho's arms.

"Cho-ha ha HAAAAAA- please- haha- nomore- ibegyou- hahahahaha- I'mgonnawetmyself- haaaaaaa haha haaaaaa ha ha..." Hermione could barely breath for laughing.

"I can't stop it! I don't think it will stop until it hears those magic words! Say you forgive me!"

"I-forgive-you"

"Say you love me."

"Iloveyou-ha ha-IloveyouChoMelodyChang"

Then Cho stopped and said "I knew that would do it.*

She then drew Hermione up and sat herself in the vacated chair, bringing Hermione onto her lap.

" Cho, we are right in view of the door. Anyone could see us." Hermione informed us.

"Where is the witch in you Hermione? Sometimes you seem more Muggle than magical." Cho flicked her wand, disillusioning them both.

"I was brought up a Muggle Cho, give me a break."

"Shut it." Then Cho proceeded to entwine her lips with Hermione, who kissed back just as sensually. They changed between kissing deeply, nuzzling each others necks, leaning their foreheads against each other and cuddling.

After ten minutes, Hermione interrupted their kisses to say " Cho, you never did answer my question. What is your new idea?"

"It is absolutely brilliant my angel, but I can't tell you. Instead I will show you in due time. Just think of it as me watching over you" Cho was twiddling with her locket whilst she said this.

Hermione shook her head fondly. "So mysterious. You Cho are such a mystery."

"You Hermione are such an adventurer." Cho replied. Then she turned serious. "I promise wherever you go, whatever you're doing, I will make sure no harm comes to you. I may be here and you may be hours, miles, days,countries away; you could jump into volcanoes, trek up a mountain, swim a crocodile infested river or walk a lifeless desert, never will you ever come to harm. I will not allow it. I promise."

Hermione looked at Cho like she grew a second head or told her she had a love child with Filch. "Since when did you become such a nobleman?"

"Since I learnt I love you and I might lose you"

Hermione pulled her back into a deep kiss. When she parted a moment later she hovered millimetres from Cho's lips and breathed "Never gonna happen". Then they were kissing again.

...

A week later, the Weasley Twins highjacked the OWLs exams, Hermione strung forth her plan to rid the school of Umbridge (involving Grawp the giant and a herd of centaurs) and the Golden trio and three members of the DA went to London to fight in the Department of Mysteries. The gang were about to fly upon their thestrals when an owl dropped a letter into Hermione's quick reflex hands. The note was from Cho telling her to 'don't worry, lay your life on me. I will never let them hurt you.' Cho it seemed knew it was a trap too like Hermione. Hermione looked to the castle, saying a silent goodbye to her girlfriend who was watching somewhere before she sat upon a thestral, that she couldn't even see, and took off into the sky.

AN; hey, finally got a chapter up here. Tell me if it's good or not. Personally I think this chapter was terrible except maybe the final third but you guys might like it. For me, it will have to do. I have spent long enough already on this chapter.

BTW, anyone who was interested in what story I am writing after this one, I can tell you that I have made a decision. When this is done look out for a HP/POTC crossover.

Bullatentur Sonor is not a canon spell. I have quite the knowledge on HP spells but I couldn't find one that puts people in a soundproof bubble. So I made my own. Bubble in latin is 'Bulla reflectentur' and the spell to amplify your voice in HP is 'Sonorus'. You can work out yourselves how I made Bullatentur Sonor.

I will shake the hand of the person that guesses the basic concept of Cho's new plan.

TBC...Cho, defender of love.


	16. Chapter 16

An; Four chapters and counting guys. I will miss this story.

Chapter 16: Cho, Defender of love.

The teens grew more defensive as the intimidating sight of Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange advanced on them whilst some other Death Eaters flanked them.

"Haven't you always wondered what was the reason for the connection between you and the Dark Lord?" Lucius Malfoy drawled in his attempt to coax Harry into trusting him. However he would have more luck getting blood out of a stone than gaining Harry's trust. Nevertheless, he continued regardless in his arrogance. "Why he was unable to kill you when you were just an infant? Don't you want to know the secret of your scar? All the answers are there, Potter, in your hand. All you have to do is give it to me."

Harry was looking defiantly back, keeping a close eye on Lucius' movements, aware of any sudden motions. Hermione and Luna had the aisle covered to his left, Ron and Neville had the right and Ginny had the rear, they were practically back to back and movement was restricted slightly but at least they weren't outnumbered.

Hermione was barely registering the two facing off, she was solely focusing on her opponent who was advancing at a slow but confident pace. But she swore something was indicating to where she should be focussing. She would suddenly, on impulse it seemed, focus her attention on the hidden hand when she originally wanted to keep an eye on the wand hand of her assailant. But she had no time to think here, in a few minutes she could be killed so she had to focus.

The surreal atmosphere around the group was intense. The DA had only duelled each other. It was on their terms and no other member was intent on hurting the other. The Death Eaters know a lot of devastating and vicious curses, if any of the teenagers got hit by them it could mean serious injury or worse, and a serious injury could be followed up by another curse that won't be so unlucky in its intention. And if they failed, like Harry said, there won't be a second chance. This was their first real taste of 'life on the line' danger.

"I waited fourteen years for this" Harry stated.

"I know" Lucius replied faking sympathy.

"I guess I can wait a little longer, Now!"

All the teens yelled the stunning spell and fled down the now cleared aisles. Hermione was sprinting with Ron and Harry. Black billows of smoke swirled behind them. Then in a puff, Lucius appeared in their path with his hand outstretched. The Trio gave him the slip and darted down another aisle. They were followed by another masked Death Eater who appeared out of nowhere. Hermione using her awareness of her surroundings, flicked her wand behind her and causing the glass orbs on the shelves to slip off and rain down on the Death Eater chasing them. One hit the man in the head but he soon blocked all the others, raising a small Protego to protect himself from them. Sounds of battling was heard all around. Hermione just hoped the yelps didn't belong to the voices of her friends and the shots fired at them missed all of the others.

A Death Eater flew in a grey smog past Hermione flying alongside the sprinting Harry who shot a Stupefy at him, hitting his mark from only a foot away.

They eventually all met back up in the centre of the room where Ginny blasted another Death Eater with a Reducto spell. They then ran again.

Hermione lost her footing and started to stumble when something stopped her fall and she regained her balance. When she looked up to thank whoever had catched her she was surprised to see that none of the others had actually been anywhere near her to catch her. So why hadn't she fell? What was it that stopped her fall? Before she could think anymore they had jumped through a door and suddenly she was falling.

Just before a sickening impact with the floor that would've certainly killed them they hovered slightly in mid-air before suddenly landing with a slight winding thump. They rose to their feet and checked their surroundings. In the centre of the room, on what appeared to be a mini-mountain, was an archway about twelve foot tall and two metres wide. It had runes written up the rocky arch.

Harry had stepped closer and had stated to hear voices. Hermione could not hear a single thing and neither could the others, except for Luna who was also interested by the archway. Hermione listened intently but could pick up nothing, she soon got angsty and warned Harry. He then determinedly turned and pointed his wand up towards where they had fallen and ordered the others to get behind him. They did so swiftly, replicating his stance. Then all they could feel was dark smoke swarming them, Hermione was tugged back by strong hands and fell into a chokehold with a wand point held securely to her head.

No amount of struggling was going to free her, all it would do is probably get her hurt or killed so she begrudgingly stopped. All the others had been captured too and Harry was in the middle with Lucius advancing on him.

Lucius bragged about being too good for mere students and returned to coaxing Harry into giving him the prophecy. Neville bravely shouted an outburst at Harry but he was shushed and Harry, seeing no other choice, handed the prophecy to Lucius. Not a few moments after he had received the prophecy, a bright light appeared behind Lucius who turned.

"Get away from my Godson." Came a deep male voice and then Lucius had stumbled from a punch to the jaw. There stood a well groomed man and the Godfather to Harry Potter, Sirius Black. Then a dozen other bright lights revealed Remus Lupin, Alastar Moody, Nympthadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt and a few other members of the Order of the Phoenix.

This was the time for the DA to leave so the Order could finish up.

Hermione shrugged out of the clutch her Death Eater had her in and made a break for cover whilst Kingsley fought him off. The Death Eater though had thought ahead and raised a Protego that deflected the curse that was now hurtling back towards Kingsley who had no time to block, so he dived away. With the slight distraction the Death Eater shot a cutting spell at the still retreating Hermione.

Unaware of this Hermione continued. It wasn't until a scream of warning from Ron rang through her ears, that she turned and saw the purple lash whip towards her. There was no time to do anything so she closed her eyes and waited for the blood to spill.

Suddenly, as if picked up by a gust of wind, Hermione was tossed aside and away from the spell that would have surely left her bleeding to death. Once again, no one had seemingly done the honour, hence the shocked face of her Death Eater and the gawk of her redhead friend. Before the Death Eater repeated his action, Kingsley stunned the Death Eater and tied him up.

Hermione looked all around searching for an Order or DA member with their wand pointed in her direction, saving her life. But all she saw was battles left right and center. Even Ron who had looked dumbfounded at what just transpired, had forgotten about Hermione and was back helping Neville.

Who in the name of Merlin helped her?

That was the third situation in which something had influenced or helped Hermione and she was slightly uncomfortable with the fact that she had no idea who it was.

She was snapped out her reverie when a loud scream she recognized as Harry's, reverberated around the room. She regained her footing and got into the fight.

Harry's scream was not one of physical pain, instead it was a scream of despair as he saw his Godfather stumble back into the veil and was lost amongst the ghostly smog. His death came at the hands of his own cousin Bellatrix, who just smirked evilly as she made to escape. Breaking free from Lupin's grasp, Harry sped after the cackling witch who had taken the only decent family member away from him. Hermione watched in sympathy and concern as the messy haired Boy-Who-Lived left the room in chase.

Battles were dwindling slightly but were still raging, so Hermione resolved to stand by her friend after the battle, hoping that she would have the chance to.

...

Harry was on the floor looking up at the most awe-inspiring duel he would ever witness. The Dark Lord, Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort and the most feared wizard of the last three decades and possibly of all time versus Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Hogwarts Headmaster, Founder of the Order of the Phoenix and the greatest sorcerer in the world. From a giant fire serpent to a globe of water to a parry of darkness and a shower of glass shards. Spells that Harry himself never even knew existed let alone counter, and all nonverbal. Dumbledore even had the awareness and skill to blast Harry to the floor to avoid harm and still defend against Voldemort's attacks. Dumbledore, in essence,won the duel as Voldemort had gotten frustrated and gave up his attack. Or Harry thought he had.

So Harry, and Dumbledore too, were taken unawares as Voldemort snuck into Harry's mind, possessing him. The torturous memories that Voldemort was recovering to the forefront of Harry's mind had him in fits of despair and the excruciating pain of someone plunging the depths of his mind had him writhing upon the marble floor of the ministry of magic. Memories of the graveyard and memories of loss and loneliness was used against him and once Voldemort had complete control of Harry he spoke through Harry, mocking the great, wise wizard he had duelled.

"You've lost old man." Harry-Voldemort hissed

Memories of Sirius falling through the veil and the nightmares Harry was having being revisited. Harry had almost stopped fighting against the Dark Lord in his head when Dumbledore grabbed his attention, knelt down and pleaded with Harry.

"Harry, it's not how you're alike...it's how you're not"

At that moment the others that helped capture the remaining Death Eaters who hadn't fled, entered the atrium to see Harry squirming on the floor with Dumbledore above him looking concerned.

At the sight of the squirming form of her best friend Hermione froze in worry. Was he having a fit? Was he under the cruciatus curse? Hermione saw all the clear signs and deduced that Harry was being possessed, most likely from Voldemort.

As her best friend laid there she thought back to every time this boy could've died, every time this boy was cheated and wronged, Every time he was alone and scared. It was here that she realised that Harry was the most understanding and incorruptible person she had ever met. Life could throw torture and pain and fear and sadness and even death, but Harry will always be Harry. This got her thinking 'If that is true, why can't me and Cho come out as couple for the first time? Others may hate us and Harry himself may feel betrayed, but he will always be accepting and welcoming. A true, loyal friend.'

Hermione looked into Harry's face whilst he stared back at the two friends he had owed his life to time and time again. What he saw gave him the motivation to fight back and Harry strained and contorted his face whilst he fought Voldemort for the control of his memories. Harry targeted the happy memories; seeking the answer, the key to regaining his hold over his mind. He saw hope, faith and loyalty in Hermione's eyes but that was not what he was looking for. He was looking for something that they have that Voldemort doesn't. In that instant he found it.

"You're the weak one. And you'll never know love, or friendship. And I feel sorry for you."

Voldemort was taken unawares and was unprepared when Harry began to force him out off his mind. Voldemort was no match for Harry's sudden revelation of 'what the Dark Lord has not'. It filled him with hope and he saw Sirius alive and well, and moments of laughter and jovial conversation with his mates.

Voldemort was now the soul being tortured as Harry thought through every happy feeling, every moment of playful banter. He heard Hermione's sing-songy voice of laughter, he saw and felt Sirius's arm around him as they met once again. It was enough to make Voldemort submit and seemingly freeze time for a few short moments, sand particles floating carefully in mid-air. More words were spoken but Harry didn't register them. He was exhausted physically and mentally.

A roar of flame rose out of one of the fireplaces in the atrium and there stood the Minister of Magic in all his glory, Cornelius Fudge. Other Ministry officials appeared at barely a second after. Once Cornelius had his bearings he was quickly gazing upon the red eyed, paled skinned, black cloaked, humanoid Lord Voldemort. In his state of horror and shock the Minister could only mutter two short words.

"He's back!"

...

"Keep still Mr Weasley" Madame Pomfrey admonished. "I can't seal the wound if you keep squirming like a flobberworm".

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle as she waited for the last member of the trio to be healed. Madame Pomfrey had a handful of cotton wool dabbed with essence of dittany and was trying to administer it to Ron's cut face.

They had all been checked rather quickly after they returned from the Ministry, all except for Hermione who had no injuries at all to check over. This surprised her more than it did the others, they assumed that Hermione was too brilliant to make a mistake and so it would make sense that she would be the only one completely unharmed. She was dirty at most.

No one had the brainpower to analyse and unravel all the mysteries of what happened in those last few hours. No one had seen Harry since the Ministry and Hermione had a bad feeling that Sirius's death would send the boy over the edge and they would finally lose him and the war, barely after it even started.

She also hadn't seen Cho since she got back. OK, they didn't have a very noisy entrance exactly so perhaps she didn't realise they were back. However if Cho was worried for her she would've been checking the locket every two seconds in hope of her return so she would've seen them coming. Maybe it was the fight? Maybe she got so hurt about almost seeing Hermione die that she couldn't bare to look and she missed her return? A twinge of worry seeped into her gut and no amount of reasoning with herself could dislodge it.

"Where is Cho?" Hermione whispered to herself.

"What was that Mione?" Ron asked as Madame Pomfrey finished up her repair job on his face.

Hermione replied startled "Just talking to myself"

Ron nodded in understanding, Hermione was relieved he didn't notice her hesitation or question her on what she was talking to herself about. But then he frowned and said "Bloody hell Hermione, what the hell happened back there?"

"Pardon. Back where?" Hermione replied.

"At the Ministry. You were inches away from being sliced open like fruit. Then suddenly you flew back. I'm not the most observant of spectators Hermione but I'm one hundred and ten percent sure that no one in that room saved you. What sort of magic did you do to escape something like that?"

"Ron, I didn't do anything. I didn't even have my wand raised, how could I have done that?"

"You must've done something: wandless magic, superspeed apparition, a blast hex that backfired. Anything?" Ron listed.

"Ron, it had nothing to do with me. Perhaps someone from the other side of the room did it."

"Hermione even I know that that is incredibly unlikely. What is your secret, you can tell me?"

"There IS NO secret. I cannot explain, understand or hazard a guess at what happened back there. I know as much as you know." Hermione explained.

Ron thought deeply before laying down a suggestion. "Maybe you have a guardian angel".

" Oh don't be so ridiculous. Guardian angels. You will be saying it was the work of god next."

Ron took this information in and started considering it, Hermione just rolled her eyes and said "Give me strength, I'm gonna find Cho."

She started walking away towards the door whilst Ron sat there contemplating. A few moments after Hermione left the infirmary, Ron finally picked up what Hermione just said.

"Cho?" Ron frowned with confusion.

...

Hermione had trekked the halls but could not find Cho anywhere. She checked the library despite the lateness, the grounds, the astronomy tower, even their secret hideaway. Cho was nowhere to be seen and Hermione really was getting anxious now. She finally decided if she weren't in the Ravenclaw common room then she would report her missing.

She waited outside praying for a Ravenclaw student to guess the riddle on the door or to leave. She contemplated using her DA galleon but then every DA member would see it so that was quickly ruled out. Her patronus charms were good but not that good that she could message Cho with it, besides someone could be with her. Hermione was oblivious to the fact that if she was worried about getting found out about being with Cho then getting someone to check if Cho was in the room whilst waiting outside is not a heck of a lot more subtle.

Finally a 'friend' of Cho's she recognised as Su Li showed up. Hermione used the word friend loosely as she really wasn't a proper friend to Cho. Hermione thought that both girls being from South East Asia might have a mutual understanding and respect for each other but that clearly wasn't the case. Hermione swallowed back an insult at the girl before asking her with forced politeness to check if Cho Chang was in there and if she was, could she come out.

Su Li looked up Hermione suspiciously. "Why would you want her?"

"I need to speak with her quickly"

"About?"

"Stuff."

"What stuff?"

"Private stuff"

"How private?"

"Private, as in none of your business"

"I think it is"

"I think otherwise".

"I beg to differ"

"Why?"

"Coz I'm a Ravenclaw"

"And?"

"And you're a Gryffindor."

"So."

"I deserve to know"

"How do you?"

"I just do"

"Look enough off this!" Hermione spat heatedly. "Will you just get Cho please."

Su Li held her suspicious gaze before realisation shone in her eyes. Her look turned to surprise. Then to a cunning smirk. Then finally settled upon seductive as she advanced on Hermione.

"You don't need her. I'm much better."

"What are you going on about now?"

"Don't hide, I know"

"Know what?"

"About your special friend Cho."

"What do you know about Cho?"

"I know she has been shagging you."

"I beg your pardon."

"You have both been frolicking. Still, you will find that I'm a much better companion in bed than that Plain Jane Cho. Would you like to find out how right I am?"

"Absolutely not." Hermione said, stuck between being disgusted about openly being flirted with and seduced whilst shocked and fearful that she knew of her relationship with Cho. Because of this she didn't realise she was retreating towards the wall until she was backed against it whilst Su Li approached.

"Dump that good for nothing, miserable cow and give me a bash."

"How dare you?"

"Shhh...if you want to play around without your girlfriend finding out then I'm more than OK with that."

Was this girl seriously saying that Hermione should cheat on the love of her life? She was barking.

Su Li was now only centimetres from Hermione and she rose a few inches to be level with Hermione's eyes and mouth.

"Let me show you".

Hermione tried for her wand but Su Li held her wrist and pinned it to the wall, then she blocked Hermione from using her other hand by leaning closer and pressing herself against Hermione.

"You know you want this no matter how much you fight."

"Please go away."

"No cando sweetcheeks, you're mine now"

"Think again Tramp" came an angry voice from behind Su.

Hermione used the distraction to push Su away and back away towards her saviour. And she could wish for no better knight in shining armour than the one beside her.

"Cho, we were having fun then. You just had to spoil it."

"Shut your mouth, before I hex your tongue down it" Cho warned.

"Such hostility. Shouldn't you be more upset with her for finding someone better than the lard of dog doo I see before me."

"She is a billion times the girl you are, not that I categorize you as one at all." Hermione retorted.

"Dear that hurts. And all those things you told me just now. Beware of her Cho, she is a right user."

"And you are a bloody rapist bitch!"

"Classic. Flirt and seduce someone then claim to have been raped when she is found out. I would dump this one Chang, she is dangerous."

"YOU LIAR! IT WAS YOU THAT WAS TRYING TO SEDUCE ME YOU CONNIVING LITTLE SKANK! NO, TRYING TO RAPE ME ACTUALLY!"

"You know what, you can have her Cho I don't want to get involved with a compulsive cheater and manipulator like her".

Hermione surged forward, trying to swing for the petite Asian. Cho caught her arm and drew her back whilst Su just skipped away cockily.

" Hermione, she ain't worth it." Cho told her.

"Cho, believe me when I say I never wanted that to happen, honest to Merlin. I was just waiting out here for you coz I got back from the Ministry and I couldn't find you so I came looking for you then I came here and she came along and I asked her to find you and she refused and then tried to seduce me and I wouldn't let her so she forced herself on me then you showed and..." Hermione babbled through wet eyes.

"Hey, it's fine. I believe you." Cho held her locket up. "See."

"You saw." Hermione stated. Cho nodded.

Hermione threw her arms around Cho's neck, burying her face in her shoulder whilst she cried. Cho wrapped one arm around her waist and held Hermione to her shoulder with the other. Cho held her and rocked her whilst Hermione cried, not just for the attempted rape or the fear of losing Cho but for Sirius, for Harry, for almost losing her life, for worrying about Cho and also crying because of all those emotions and thoughts clogging up her head and heart.

"I love you, I love you so much" Hermione gasped.

"I love you too baby. You're safe now." Cho comforted.

Hermione eventually pulled back when she had recovered with puffy red eyes and asked Cho sternly "and where the hell have you been? I was worried sick."

"I was studying."

"Studying?!" Hermione replied incredulously.

"Yes. I thought you of all people would understand the importance of studying. You have lectured me about it on many occasions." Cho added warmly.

"Well I know that. But there's a time and place, your girlfriend could've been seriously injured and you were studying. Have you not been worried at all whilst I have been gone?"

Cho frowned saying "No. What were you doing?"

"What was I do...?!" Then Hermione recognised this for what it was, a wind-up. This was an annoying but welcome trait that came with being with Cho. Hermione narrowed her eyes in playful irritation and placed her hands on her hips. "You know full well what I was doing you idiot, quit winding me up."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, honestly. I didn't even know you left, did you have fun?" Cho asked mischievously.

"Oh bales of it. Absolutely bales of fun thank you very much. There's nothing I like more than being cursed at in every direction imaginable." Hermione drawled sarcastically.

"Sounds like you had fun. Just be careful that you and the other kids don't go over the top, we don't want anyone hurting themselves." Cho said mockingly.

"You prat Cho. Seriously was you worried?"

Cho snapped out her playful tease and smiled reassuringly. "I never put the locket down. Does that answer your question?"

Hermione smiled "More or less"

"Good."

"Then why didn't you come and see me?"

Cho rose her eyebrows in fake surprise. "So you want me to clearly out us both?"

Hearing this Hermione could've slapped herself in annoyance, 'of course, we are still a secret'.

"Right, gotcha" Hermione understood.

Cho chuckled and kissed Hermione's nose. "You silly girl".

Cho hugged her girlfriend tightly nuzzling her neck.

" Yes."

"I'm sorry?" Cho replied, not quite understanding what Hermione just said.

"I do." Hermione continued.

"Do what?"

"I do want you to out us"

"What do you mean?" Cho asked pulling back to look at her properly.

"I want me and you to come out as a couple. I want people to know I'm with you. I want you properly, not secretly. And I don't want Su Li to be the one who outs us. Not only will we do it with more dignity and without public humiliation, but we will do it because it's us that should be doing it and we should've done it a long time ago."

"Do you fully understand the consequences of what you're asking?" Cho asked dubiously.

"More or less."

"More or less is not enough."

Hermione pulled out of Cho's arms and turned away to look at the wall behind her. Thinking she said something wrong Cho was about to ask but Hermione started talking.

"This evening has really shaken my priorities into shape. I now know it's not about what we think is right, it's about what Harry thinks and deserves. You weren't there Cho so you didn't see Harry almost relent to Voldemort. He was seconds away from being lost forever and I almost witnessed it. Harry looked into my eyes, looked into Ron's, and he saw the love we all have for him and the friendship we feel together. It saved him Cho. We saved him. He has trust so deep for us that he doesn't even know how deep it goes. I have to continue to live up to being his trusted friend or the next time we won't be able to save him."

"And telling him this is not a form of betrayal?" Cho asked questioningly.

"No because Harry wouldn't see the secret for a betrayal. He will see the fact I never told him and he finds out for himself or through someone else, as the betrayal. Harry knows better than anyone that secrets have to be kept, but he also knows that in the end secrets will not last forever. It is important that when the secret ends, the person with the secret MUST be the one to tell it."

"OK. But it's not just Harry that we have to convince." Cho reminded Hermione.

"It's only Harry that matters. Other than you, no one is more important to me than Harry. It's the same for Ron, for you, for the DA, for the Order and the whole of Wizarding Britain that isn't on the side of Lord Voldemort. All we have to convince is Harry and today has proven to me that Harry is the most understanding person I know. If Harry is OK with us, everyone will be."

"But isn't Harry mourning Sirius? Isn't this more aggravation on his shoulders?"

"I guess. We will tell him as soon as he finishes mourning Sirius, in the mean time we need a certain Ravenclaw slut to shut her big mouth about this, don't we?" Hermione said turning around to look at Cho. The look the brunette gave her told her Hermione had it covered.

Cho stepped up to Hermione and pulled her in for a deep kiss. Hermione kissed back as her eyes fluttered shut. Cho then broke the kiss before it could get heated and said flirtatiously "Want to spend the night with me?"

"Cho!" Hermione affronted despite that being exactly what she wanted right now. "Against the rules."

"Live a little Hydrangea." Cho said tugging Hermione towards the common room. "Besides since when do you obey the rules in times of danger?"

Seeing how dangerous Cho looked right then Hermione couldn't help but blurt. "Too shay"

She let herself be escorted to the door but inside her head Hermione was confused.

'I never mentioned that Sirius died? and I didn't see him die either so she couldn't have seen him through the locket? How then did Cho know that Sirius died?'

An; Well? What do you think? Review me your theory on how Cho knew Sirius died and the closest person to the actual answer will get a shout out in the next chap. If you guess it correctly you are a mind reader...therefore you cheated :-P

This chapter just wrote itself, I am amazed at how it turned out. Sorry about that risqué scenario involving Hermione and Su Li. I probably should've mentioned a warning in the header Author note about an attempted rape and in my defence it was on a whim and it wasn't that graphic for a start. If you were uncomfortable with it though I'm sorry.

Su Li came in on a whim because I remember that she is a popular seductress in other Fanfics and is known to be lesbian or bi. That is it. Just that she is a little homosexual and Japanese I think.

In other related-to-Harry-Potter-and-kinda-related-to-this-story news, I checked out a poll on Empire that listed the top twenty sexiest women in cinema. On the list was Beatrix Kiddo aka Uma Thurman, Elisabeth Swann aka Keira Knightley and Lara Croft aka Angelina Jolie. Hermione Granger was eighth on that list, one behind Black Widow aka Scarlett Johansson. Apparently we are not the only ones that think Hermione is hot. The majority of that list were characters that had an action movie role. That got me thinking about who is the hottest/most dangerous character in film? And I created my top twenty. Any reviewers, followers and favourites will get a PM list of my top twenty dangerous/sexy women characters (yes, I have started bribing now), see if you agree or send me your own versions. About no.5, yes it's a bias decision coz she ain't that dangerous but I refuse to put her any lower on that list.

Well, until next time, adios

TBC...Ron vs Cho


	17. Chapter 17

An: hello again. And we are in the sixth year now. If we all know canon then we all know that this was the year where fans finally saw the moment where Hermione liked Ron. Obviously I can't have that in this story so yeah this chapter won't follow canon. But I will come up with a way to include the Ron and Lavender relationship, the meddling Hermione did to get Ron as the Gryffindor keeper, the half-blood prince's potion book and the scene where Ron gets poisoned and Ron murmurs Hermione's name. If you're confused about how I'm gonna pull off those scenes without making it look like Hermione likes Ron...then read and find out.

This was supposed to be Ron vs Cho, and technically it is. But there is so much covered in what i have written for that chapter that i have to split it into four parts. This part is now called Cho and Hermione Forever. The next one will be Coming out with Cho. The final two will be Ron vs Cho pt 1+2.  
Hope this explains the confusion, the original chapter was 20000 words long. That is like an extra story in its own. And i had to write it as well as finish off all my college work forever. So pls no flaming.

You will have to forgive me as I haven't seen Half-blood Prince as much as I probably should (mainly because it was the worst one IMO, coz of a certain brunette suddenly destroying the perfect storyline by revealing her feelings for a red-headed boy dating a ditzy blonde haired girl. This wasn't the film's fault I know but it's one thing to read about the pairing, its another to visually see it.) so if parts of the canon in this chapter is wrong somehow, let me know or just remember that I don't really remember much of things I hate.

Chapter 17: Cho and Hermione forever.

"Hermione, you are wearing out the cement. Stop pacing Sweetie and stop worrying. She will be here" Emma Granger told her daughter assuringly.

Hermione was waiting by the bus stop. Well not really waiting more like doing relays of the pavement between the bus shelter and the road. She was abnormally anxious about what her girlfriend would say when she showed, if she showed.

In her mind they had finally did it. The contract arranged between Cho and her guardian's son was null and void. All it needed...was Cho's consent.

When Hermione's fifth year ended, Cho had found so much happiness being with Hermione that she had forgotten her background and her predicament with her carers. And so it dawned on her when Hermione asked 'Cho, where will you be staying this summer?'. Hermione had asked that question, knowing about the "family" Cho would be going back to. She knew and was utterly terrified that as soon as this fifth year ended, so too would the best thing that ever happened to her. Being with Cho.

Cho's guardians would cut off their connection with each other. They were known to kill the owls sent to Cho's address to stop messages coming her way, put wards up to block Patronus and Floo messages and even if people tried the muggle way, they would burn letters or hide the telephones. And people would be turned away at the door and assured no girl named Cho lived there.

Then as soon as the guardians realised that Cho was with someone relationship-wise, the contract would instantly be introduced.

Yes, maybe they could keep quiet about their relationship until the holidays were over but six weeks was a long time to be without the person you long to be with everyday for the rest of your life. It would kill both girls inside. Also Cho was forced to be miserable whilst living there, which wasn't difficult to do in the first place, but Cho would never be able to think about Hermione without breaking into a smile. The instant that happened they would swarm her about why she was smiling and the secret would be out.

They can't risk her guardians finding out for fear of the contract. So there breakup seemed inevitable. Hermione prayed there would be another way out off it.

In answer to Hermione's question, Cho never replied. She had excused herself and fled. She ignored Hermione for six days and Hermione cried for six days. She knew their relationship would end but she didn't want to start it off.

After the sixth day Cho dragged Hermione to an empty classroom and apologised to her in form of a several minute snogging session. She then apologised in words, saying she wasn't upset because of her. Cho was instead upset because she couldn't give an answer to Hermione's question. She hated that she wanted to say they would stay together but couldn't think of a way how to. She apologised that she made Hermione think it was because of her.

Hermione felt it was safe to reask the question. And Cho answered this time. "I will stay with you. I just have no idea how."

So the night before term ended Hermione had made a decision. She stopped waiting and decided to fight. She would fight Cho's guardians with everything she had, determined to not end the best thing to ever happen to her. That would require fighting the contract, of which there was apparently no loopholes or escape clauses.

But the contract hadn't been signed.

Yes, some contracts have no clauses or loopholes but every contract has to have terms and conditions.

So before she went to bed she contacted Obelix and told her to bring a copy of the actual contract so that Hermione could analyse every part of it over the summer. As this would be the last time Hermione would speak to Obelix or Rosalina before the holidays she made sure Cho also knew about what she was asking for. Cho was confused as to why she wanted a copy but didn't forbid it.

That next morning Hermione found the copy laying on her bedside table and she whooped in joy. She showed it to Cho (when they had found a quiet place before they left for the Express) and told her she will let her know straight away when she has found something. A problem came up in how will Hermione be able to contact her. Hermione just said "You might want to read the fake ads that pop through your door."  
Cho promised too that if her guardians found anything out about them both and were thinking about signing the contract she will let Hermione know ASAP.

They shared a long, lingering kiss goodbye hoping that it wouldn't be their last.

Hermione was thinking about the contract when Harry started speaking, addressing the DA members around him. "I've been thinking about something Dumbledore said to me".

" What's that?"

"That even though we have a fight ahead of us, we have one thing that Voldemort doesn't have"

"Yeah?" Ron said.

"Something worth fighting for".

Hermione thought upon those words and couldn't agree more. Voldemort didn't have friends like Harry and Cho's guardians didn't have a lover like Cho does. Hermione has something worth fighting for that Cho's guardians will never have the ability to understand. True love towards a sweet, forgotten girl with a life of love and care to replace the hate and abuse.

That summer Hermione went over the contract every night analysing everything. Every day that passed she feared the message that she and Cho were found out and everything would be over, the pressure on Hermione's shoulder was unbearable. This was affecting Hermione in her search as her fear allowed her to overlook things and Hermione would have to start again. She took comfort in the fact that everyday no message was sent her way. But not much.

Then...one hot day in August...Hermione found something. She had remembered a book she checked out once from the Hogwarts library that mentioned contract bindings, the one that she used for the DA contract. She remembered that it had a section on 'Matrimonial Contracts'. And she remembered she still had it in her trunk as she had a library pass that allowed books to be lent out for a maximum of a year. She had forgotten it was in there, unlike her but the last few months were quite strenuous. She had a surge of hope fill her body to the brim and she raided through her trunk like a dog digging a hole to bury it's bone.

She found the book and screamed in excitement. Immediately she had it open. After checking the contents page, she flicked through the pages whilst disregarding her usual respect for the treatment of books. She found the section and began her search again. Contracts for soul binding between married couples, contracts for the consummation ceremony of a wedding, they were all there. But none about actual marriage contracts. She almost gave up until one heading caught her eye.

Engagement Agreements.

Hermione then saw a subheading that spelt:

Conditions Of Agreement

Hermione read all the bullet points until she reached the bottom where it stated:

'It is impossible for multiple agreements and/or marriage contracts to be in succession simultaneously. If a participant has already consented to an agreement or contract, whether engagement or of marriage, other than the current contract being processed, then your application will be null and void. Some marriage contracts entitle only the signature of the male to be required however the agreement the female or other male participant had consented and signed beforehand will instantly mean that any other contract, marriage or engagement, will be unpermittible until either one participant has forfeited their engagement agreement or the married participants has filed for a divorce agreement (see page 472). This is unnegotiable."

Hermione looked up from the book and thought about what she read. Cho's guardians haven't signed their contract yet and until they do there is a chance that if Cho agreed to another contract before the guardians could consent the marriage then Cho will be free. However that contract had to be another marriage contract or...an engagement agreement.

Would Hermione, or more importantly Cho, dare to agree to an agreement this early into the relationship?

Basically, offering that agreement to Cho meant that she was practically proposing. And Cho agreeing meant that she would have a fiancée rather than just a girlfriend. Not that that sounded horrible or that Hermione didn't want that, but it's a massive step right before a war where they may never get a chance to have a wedding. Also engaged at sixteen-seventeen years old. Its uncanny.

Hermione read further. She was of age. So was Cho. Yes, it permits same sex couples. It has a time limit for students of four years, giving them enough time to finish studies before they were required to marry. Basically it ticked all the boxes. But there was no box for a war. There was no guarantee they would survive that long, so how can we make that agreement. Does Cho even want to marry Hermione this early? Hermione wasn't sure. But it was this or nothing.

Engaged or heartbroken. Easy decision in the end.

So Hermione went to work on her 'advertisement'. It was just a leaflet about a jewellers with special offers on engagement rings. She reworded some of the text to fit her message when Cho read it. Cho has a secret obsession with code so Hermione was confident she would get the hidden message. Finally Hermione changed the name of the jewellers to 'H. 's'. The next part was a little more difficult and very, very nerve-racking. She had to go to the address and hand over the leaflet to Cho's guardians.

She apparated to the tree that Cho took her to, about a mile from Cho's house. Hermione tried remembering the directions Cho gave her when they were just speaking and embracing against the bark just six months ago. Six months, and a proposal already.

Hermione thought it would be easier to try contacting Obelix from there but she might be at Cho's. She didn't know where Rosalina was either. So she racked her brains remembering the conversation.

"OK. Cho said that it was north off here. The sun is saying it's two o'clock so the north is that way." Hermione pointed towards where north is."five fields before you get to a country road. To the...left of a T junction there should be a bus stop. Take the twenty seven and get off after three stops. Walk down the rest of the road until it ends and I should see 'Holly house'. That's Cho's address. Right."

Before she left the tree behind tho, Hermione walked over and hugged it. Yes, it was a weird thing to do but she literally wanted to thank this place for what it gave her.

Half an hour later Hermione had found the bus stop and waited. Surely enough a twenty seven bus came within a few minutes. Luckily she got regular pocket money when at home so she could pay for a single ticket.

The travelling was keeping her brain whirring away. She was thinking about everything that could go wrong and comparing it to what could go right.

But soon enough the time for thinking was over. She was looking at the front door of Cho's hell home knowing she would have to speak to the devils that lived there.

She rapped on the door and waited.

After a brief wait the door swung open and a woman answered it. She had black hair that was unruly even for Bellatrix Lestrange, terribly aged skin for someone who was apparently in their early forties and had teeth that were daffodil yellow. She was smoking a cigarette even whilst eyeing Hermione from the door and didn't even remove it when she said "Hallo there love, what'll a pretty lass like you be doing 'ere."

Hermione forced a smile despite the hatred that flooded her body once the door was opened revealing the clearly Scottish woman.

"Hi. Sorry to bother you on a weekend but my parents have been insisting that I go round the neighbourhood to hand these out. They would do it themselves but they are running the shop and they wanted me out of the house doing something... Whatever. Here."

Hermione handed her the leaflet. "My parents are jewellers and they have a special offer on engagement rings. They are half price if you buy them up to the twentieth of this month and that's free postage if you order them over the phone. We also sell all the best jewellery in all types of chains. And..."

"Forgive me manners dear, but I'm already married. And I 'ave no desire to buy any jewellery I'm afraid." The woman interrupted warmly. "Where are the other leaflets then Lass?"

Hermione looked down and almost kicked herself. She looked like she had no other leaflets to give up so how could she give the whole neighbourhood a leaflet if she only had one.

"Oh, this is the last house I can do for now. I printed off enough for the whole street and thought I would finish with your house."

"So you live on this street? I've never seen ya before."

Hermione felt like she was digging herself a hole.

"I don't live on this street, no. I, well, we do these things by streets. My mum did Tenner Street the other weekend too."

"I see. Well, thanks for this but ya can 'ave it back as I won't be needing it." The woman said, handing the leaflet back to Hermione.

"Err...no. You keep it in case you need." Hermione said calmly as possible but inside she was panicking.

"I assure you, i won't be. No need to waste this is there."

Hermione was visibly panicking now. She was about to relent and take back the leaflet when a boy's voice from inside the house distracted the woman who apologised to Hermione before closing the door...without giving the leaflet back.

Hermione took a huge breath. She had done it, now she hoped Cho got it before the woman screwed it up. If it failed then Hermione would think of another way to contact Cho.

Luckily it didn't get screwed up and Cho saw it. She wrote to Hermione saying she wanted to meet her the next day at the bus stop that Hermione took the bus from and that is where she found herself now, with her parents in tow.

"HERMIONE!" Daniel Granger bellowed "You will listen to your mother."

"Oi, don't shout at her, she is nervous as it is." Emma scalded him.

Hermione got out of her flashback and looked at her parents. "I'm sorry. I...what if Cho doesn't want to marry me? What if she didn't get my message clearly and is coming because her guardians said they will sign the contract? What if she hates me and doesn't come at all?"

"If they were thinking of doing that Cho would've told you in the letter wouldn't she?" Emma told her, not even giving the latter question any thought due to its absurdity. "What did she say in the letter?"

Hermione took it out a and read it. "She says it's a bit extreme but if that's what it takes then she will do it."

"There you are. She did understand it and she agreed to it."

"She might've changed her mind since then. And what if she can't sneak out? They still might've found out about us and are doing the contract."

Daniel took the letter and read it aloud. Daniel Granger was a conventional type of guy. He saw things as black and white. Men are men. Women are women. They are created to go with the other gender. White can't go with itself and neither can black go with itself. So he was not pleased when his daughter said she was in love with a girl. He wasn't angry at Hermione, no he was just thinking she was confused and that the magical world had obscured her vision a bit to seem like she liked girls. NOW that his daughter was thinking of marrying a girl at sixteen years of age he WAS angry. He wouldn't let her marry a BOY at sixteen let alone a girl, whatever the circumstances are. So he was unsupportive of it. Hermione was really hurt by this but at least her mum was fully on her side.

"Hermione, I got the advert you very cleverly sent, I was the one who helped get that horrid woman away from the door. Never mind about that. Anyway, Marriage? That's crazy. I have thought about...I can't read any more of this."

"Give it here." Emma snapped and ripped it out her husband's hands. She continued where he left off.

"I have thought about marrying you obviously but never this early. But if that's what it takes then I will do it. It's that or never be free. I want to meet you tomorrow, at the bus stop near mine, the one where you were at today (yeah, I know you too well). Eleven thirty. Don't be late, I know you probably won't but just in case. Hopefully we will have everything sorted by tomorrow. I love you and can't wait to see you. Cho. Aww, that is sweet."

"Mum!"

"Hermione's right that is not sweet at all." Daniel added.

"Dad!"

"It is sweet and you both have to live with it." Emma stated in a no-nonsense manner, that is where Hermione got that trait from.

Hermione took the letter back and looked it over again. She sat beside her mother on the bench looking thoughtful and innocent like a five year old. "Mum, is it wrong to propose this early?"

"It is unheard of, but never wrong"

"But none of my friends know we are even together, you two haven't even met her and we are about to go into a war in the wizarding world. What if everyone I care about leaves me? What if you can't condone this like dad is? What if we never get the chance to have the wedding?"

"What ifs don't matter Hermione sweetie. And your dad does condone it..." She said this louder so the man himself can hear it. "...because he wants what will make his daughter happy, and if Cho makes you happy then he will learn to be happy for you."

"But ain't I proposing for all the wrong reasons, a proposal should not be a means to an end. I should propose because I'm ready to spend the rest of my life with the girl I love."

"And aren't you? Are you thinking of marrying her just to get these horrible people out of her lives or are you doing it because you love her?"

Hermione looked away at the road. "Its both really. But it should just be because I love her. That's what I feel so bad about."

"You're gonna have to talk this over with her sweetie. I'm not gonna tell you what to do coz I know nothing of what you want or need. The only person who will decide if this is right is you. And you will do it because you know it to be the truth. You have done amazingly over the last year Hermione and I can't be a more proud mother than I am right now. You have matured so much and you remind me more and more of myself every time you come home."

Hermione blinked at her mum in-between wet eyes and smiled warmly. She then fell onto her mum's chest and hugged her around the middle.

"Thank you mum. No matter what happens I will always love you, and dad even though he is a right prat." She chuckled.

Unbeknownst to the two women embracing, Daniel smiled at that comment. He quickly looked into his jacket and got a small photo of a ten year old Hermione in her primary school uniform smiling toothily at the camera. 'Well she is and always will be my little girl, so what if I will have to stick with having a daughter-in-law.'

Then the droning sound of a bus engine caught there attention. The bus stopped across the road from them and left revealing the girl of the hour. Cho instantly spotted them and crossed the road.

Cho saw Hermione's parents and felt instantly awkward and nervous. "Oh...I didn't know you would be coming...n-n-not that you're not welcome...I'm glad to meet you finally."

Emma walked forward and hugged her quickly before pulling back and holding both her shoulders in her hands whilst she looked Cho up and down. Cho tried to look casual but her body just screamed awkwardness.

"You must be Cho. How amazing it is to see you finally. I can see why you caught Hermione's heart." Emma said finally. "I'm Emma Granger, Hermione's mum. I have heard so many good things about you."

"Hi Emma...Mrs Granger...sorry for my manners" Cho corrected herself.

"I told you my name so you can use it Cho. Still welcome to the family."

Emma stepped back letting Daniel through, Cho visibly swallowed.

"You must be Cho."

Cho nodded.

"Now I know how my daughter feels about you, she cares for you more than anything I have seen before. Let me make this perfectly clear. If you don't hurt her, let her down or break her heart then me and you will get along civilly, but no amount of magic will save you if you do."

Cho, instead of feeling intimidated by his words like he thought she would, looked back defiantly and confidently before saying. "With all due respect sir, there is no amount of magic that will ever MAKE me hurt her or let her down or break her heart. It looks like we are both going to be very civil towards one another."

They looked amiably towards each other before shaking hands, whilst Hermione looked proudly on from the side.

"I'm Daniel Granger by the way. But if its better for you, call me Mr Granger. But it's Daniel after the wedding, no excuses." He smiled at her.

"OK, Mr Granger."

"Ahem do you mind letting me in, I am the one she came here to see" Hermione told them.

"Someone really needs to adjust their ego so that her head won't fall to one side." Cho said.

"Less than of an ego, more of a truth with egotistical benefits."  
Hermione pointed out.

Hermione then pounced and hugged Cho tightly, arms around her neck. Hermione's parents signed from behind Hermione that they will prepare the lunch they had planned for them back home. Hermione gave a small nod in affirmation and then snuggled into Cho's neck.

"I really have missed you my angel" Cho murmured after the brief silence.

"I've missed you more my sweet". Hermione replied sincerely, testing the new pet name.

" No. Not quite. They're getting better though." Cho acknowledged.

"It's bound to, I've gone through every pet name imaginable."

"You'll get there eventually." Cho finally pulled out of the hug and gave Hermione a chaste kiss. "Anyway, we are not here to discuss that."

Hermione looked at the ground in a mixture of nerves and sadness. "You are probably gonna hate me. I have brought a lot of aggro and stress into your life."

Cho narrowed her eyes and glared at her. "Now cut that out, it's not as if I'm the headless horseman of the apocalypse here. We are going over the engagement agreement, not committing to an unbreakable vow."

"But asking you this is so irresponsible in so many ways."

"Then why ask it?"

"Coz it will set you free."

"Exactly!" Cho exclaimed. "There is no other way, otherwise you would've found it by now."

Hermione would've had the opportunity to blush seeing her girlfriend look at her so pridefully, but she was too much of a nervous wreck to feel much more than that.

"This shouldn't be because of that. I dreamt of proposing to you in an exotic location. We are swimming and playing around in a pond with a waterfall flowing gallons upon gallons of water. Every colour imaginable is reflected in the rays of sunshine breaking through the water particles in the air. We are the only thing that matters at that moment and our love is plain to see to any animal or living being capable enough to experience that emotion..."

Cho let herself delve into that image, picturing exactly what Hermione had dreamt in full detail. It more than took her breath away.

"...although that dream is hardly a likely event, it expresses everything that I want to make a proposal fitting enough for such an incredible girl like you."

"Hermione, it wouldn't matter to me how you proposed, because a proposal is more than enough to cherish by itself. It might not express your love for me, but I will see it anyway just because you asked me."

"What about if we never get to complete the engagement? What if our friends boycott us? What if you die?" Hermione asked, trying to tear her hair out from it's roots.

"Hermione, listen to me for Merlin's sake." Cho said firmly. She drew Hermione's hands away from her scalp and replaced them with her own, holding them between their bodies. "Haven't you realised that fairytale happiness is a lot to ask for in these current times? It's nigh impossible for anyone's dreams to be as satisfying as they would want it to be. We just have to make do with what we get. The proposal may not be as you had dreamt but the wedding will be, coz I believe it and so do you. You do believe it don't you Hermione?"

Hermione nodded.

"Then tell me about this agreement." Cho said.

Then Hermione apparated with Cho. Leaving the bus stop empty of people.

The Grangers got more acquainted with Cho and Hermione went through everything listed about engagement agreements. Then Cho, after verbally consenting to the contract, apparated home to await the thumbs up. The next time her and Hermione would meet they would be getting engaged.

Hermione said she would contact her via patronus message as a subtle approach would no longer be needed. As soon as the guardians found out, Cho would've apparated to the Grangers where it would take minutes for the agreement to be carried out and signed.

Two days later, Hermione confidentially drew an agreement out with Gringotts' department for magical contracts. They were the only legal organisation that Hermione could trust with confidentiality and were not corrupt like the Ministry's departments. After listing the age, gender and ethnicity of both participants, the goblin known as Hankrind asked that Hermione provided evidence that Cho was indeed the second participant and was indeed a witch. Hermione handed him a letter signed by Cho the day before confirming her identity, alongside a magical signature that proved the letter wasn't forged and that Cho indeed was a witch. The goblin ended the transaction before confirming the agreement would take place at two twenty seven the next day.

At two twenty five the following day Hermione sent her patronus, Cho easily escaped the hell house and the agreement was witnessed and signed. The rest is history just like Cho's guardians would be.

There was a pause right before Cho signed when both sets of eyes, lover and lover, met in a final 'are you sure about this?' Moment right before Cho signed the paper in reply. 'Positive'.

A lot happened after that. Social services immediately got involved via request of Albus Dumbledore and evidence of the past decade of Cho's hell was more than enough to arrest the guardians for child abuse. The son was later sent to care and the male and female adults got seven years in Azkaban. Many inspectors from the care home Cho was fostered from were demoted due to the wrongly analysed inspection of Cho's life with the now Azkaban convicts. Some were even sacked for taking bribes for their silence which the care home was appalled at.

But none of this really mattered to Cho and Hermione. Yes, Hermione contacted Dumbledore after the agreement was made. Yes, Cho provided evidence and gave a statement against them. And yes, they both attended the trial that saw the evil buggers sent down. And the look on their faces when they saw Cho was priceless, but not as priceless as the woman's face when she recognised Hermione as the young girl that tried to sell her jewellery. The scowl as crooked as the woman's front teeth was returned by Hermione's smug smirk that Draco Malfoy wouldn't even pull off.

Still, not much of the following events mattered. All they cared about was Cho's freedom...and the wedding they dreamt would come, and now was. They agreed that although they were technically engaged now, they weren't engaged in full until one of them knelt down in front of the other and asked the magic words 'will you marry me?'.

Now that Cho was listed as homeless the Grangers agreed to keep her at home for the holidays and as Cho would turn eighteen this year she would be of age to decide where she wants to live. They set up a spare bed for Cho in Hermione's room. Hermione had a single bed in a very spacious room so it would be hard to NOT find a place to put it. Hermione immediately requested that the guest should have her bed and she would sleep on the spare. Cho instantly said that no matter what bed she was on it would trump her sleeping arrangements she had at the hell home, so she will make do with the spare bed. Hermione shrugged "as you wish". In private she then went on to say that " if we are quiet then there's no need for a second bed". Cho went red despite the privacy and Hermione smiled in triumph.

True to her word, Hermione was able to very quietly snuggle in with Cho of a night time and lay there talking until sleep took them. Hermione would lightly spoon Cho from behind with a looped arm around her midsection to always remind her where she was and who was with her and whom always would be

An; end of the first part.

I really loved the part with Daniel Granger looking at the photo of his little girl. I'm not a father but want to be one day. Personally if it came down to choice i would want just a girl or at least a girl first. I was told that you are never truly a man until you have a daughter. A daughter to a father is like the epitome of what each guy stands for. For a man a daughter's life becomes more important than their own and it is any dad's dream to be the one who checks under the bed for monsters, gives piggy-back rides, intimidate the boys she speaks to when she is old enough to be interested in other boys because he can't see a boy hurt his little girl. It also is every father's nightmare to give up his child and release her from the nest because it feel like he is losing his dream, a father's dream. And that scene in here should strike in the hearts of every father and man out there reading this. This isn't to say that having a boy would be bad either, even if he turns out to be a right terror. Any child of mine will make my life complete.

Anyway the next part is the most significant part of the story and i hope that it wasn't blown.


	18. Chapter 18

An; part 2, and this quickly. What's the occasion,right? Biggest chapter to date, friendships will be tested and secrets revealed. Will the Golden Trio fall apart or will we witness Harry Potter, the good guy. Find out in...

Chapter 18: Coming out with Cho

The summer soon became a dream come true. Cho for certain had never been happier or had as much luxury, even at Hogwarts. Hermione used to feel bad when she was younger when she felt incomplete and dissatisfied at home, coming from the world where she excelled and loved more than her original magicless world, every holiday was a reminder that she would never completely fit in magical society. She wasn't ashamed of her background, or of who her parents were, she would forever wave the flag for Muggleborn witches like herself. But it really saddened her that her parents were less like parents and more like carers away from school. She got over the fear of the dark whilst at Hogwarts. She got friends at Hogwarts that her parents never even met, just heard about in passing. She had her first crush, kiss and girlfriend all in one year. Her parents only met her towards the end and knew minimal about her due to the fact they were just about settled with using an owl for post whilst their whole lives consisted of post boxes and phone calls, so Hermione didn't write home much. Her parents were slowly losing influence on her life and Hermione knew deep down inside they were taking that harder than it would appear. It may even explain some of her father's reasons for being a bit sour about his daughter's relationship.

But this year had a different feeling. This summer Hermione found it easier to talk to her parents. She talked about her favourite spells, magical books, magical places; about her friends, professors and also the battle at the ministry. Her parents felt as happy hearing them as Hermione felt telling them. They had a connection again and were working towards building more connections with them that enabled both their worlds to mingle, so that it wouldn't seem alien to them anymore. She convinced her father to connect a Floo network to the fire so travelling was quicker (if slightly dirtier) but could only be used if Hermione came with them as she was a witch. Her mum was into culture and the arts, so Hermione introduced her to Magical plays, symphonies and music. Soon her mum was singing along to a hit number song from the Wizarding world by the band The Lights Of My Cauldron called Singing For My Lover. They were going from a Muggle family into an all-accepting one. All because of one person. Cho Chang.

Then Hermione got the letter from Ron asking her...or he thought it was, but it was actually more begging than asking...if she is coming to The Burrow still this summer. She had to go as she did agree before she left Hogwarts, but she couldn't bring Cho for obvious reasons, no matter how much she wished she could. Emma Granger told her daughter "Cho does live here now, so it's not like you are leaving her in no-man's-land. Besides, we could do with some time with our future daughter-in-law".

" But I'm not just going to the Burrow for the day, or even the weekend. I'm staying for the rest of the summer. I won't see her until we get back to Hogwarts." Hermione complained.

"Pish Posh. Me and your father were away from each other for two years coz he finished uni as I practically started. He moved to Devon whilst I stayed at Ipswich. He hadn't the money to drive up to Ipswich or get the trains. The only time we spoke in those two years was a phone call occasionally at eight o'clock in the evening from a telephone booth. We are Grangers, Hermione. We can wait for decades and some." Emma explained whilst drying a glass she just washed with a teatowel.

"But you and Dad were together for years before that. Me and Cho have just started." Hermione argued.

Cho got involved in this conversation by asking " So what are you saying? That in the few weeks away from me I may find someone else or pack you in cos you're not here?"

"No..." Hermione splattered.

"Then what are you saying?" Emma said

"I'm saying...I'm saying...I don't know what I'm saying." Hermione huffed. "I just don't want to go without Cho."

Cho smiled fondly and shared a glance with Emma. They winked at each other. Then Cho turned to Hermione's sulking face and playfully pinched her cheeks. "Look who is so cute when she is sulky?"

Hermione glared. "I'm not going. That's that."

Cho shook her head. "Oh dear. That's a shame."

"Why?"

"Well, if you had gone I would have...how do I put it, surprised you with a special edition Cho for when you got to Hogwarts." Emma told her.

"What do you mean 'special edition'?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"Never mind, there's no point now. You're not leaving." Cho told her, waving it off.

"Are you blackmailing me to go the Burrow so you two can have makeovers?" Hermione asked.

"Of course not my angel, we swear." The face Cho gave her was so innocent that Hermione almost believed her, but you can't disguise that mischievous twinkle in your eyes and Cho had it.

"Cho Chang, you can't lie to me. You know that."

"I'm not. Just cos I wanted to look nice for you upon your return doesn't mean I would ever manipulate you into going." Cho said, then she turned back to her newspaper and continued reading.

Hermione looked at her contemplating what Cho just said clueless to the mentioned girl pretending to read and waiting for the inevitable... "OK, I will go"

"Go where?" Cho asked in reply, playing dumb.

"You know where you arse." Hermione snickered whilst jabbing her girlfriend with her finger. "To the Burrow".

"Really?"

"Yes. But I expect to see the new you when I get back to Hogwarts. Anything would be an improvement." Hermione teased.

"You bitch." Cho swatted her hand whilst Emma tossed water at Hermione. Soon they were all whipping teatowels, tossing water and smacking newspapers in a play fight, enjoying the last day before Hermione went to the Burrow for the rest of the summer.

That night Hermione and Cho did some kissing to satisfy them both for the rest of summer, and that meant a lot of kissing indeed.

The next day, Hermione showed up to bone crushing hugs from the twins, Ginny and most crushing of all hugs Molly Weasley. Ron, despite not hugging her like a bear, was probably the most eager to see Hermione. He also was very inclined to thank the girl at every opportunity for coming; Hermione both liked and hated this surprisingly chirpy behaviour from Ron.

Harry wasn't expected for another few days so no one really had the urge to play Quidditch or Wizard chess. They went all day having fun with the twins prank products, tossing gnomes around in the garden and even resorted to muggle games like hide and seek, tag and charades, with a magical twist. The nights in Ginny's room consisted of Truth or Dare and girl talk, Hermione was finding it easier to talk around Ginny as she was the only person other than Hermione's parents and Rosie and Obelix, who knew about her and Cho. And for the rest of the year she kept completely silent which Hermione was thankful for.

But everyday Hermione was never as happy as she was at home and the overhanging shadow that was bearing down on her occasional off moods was not difficult to identify. She wasn't fully Hermione anymore without Cho.

So on a few occasions she got out the house to 'do a bit of reading' and sat by her favourite tree in an orchard not far from the Weasleys home, where she wrote to Cho. She told her how everyone was and what they were doing but more than anything she talked about how much she wished she was here or that she was there. Cho wasn't allowed to reply because of the others finding out so she just wished the letter got to her.

She sealed each letter with a kiss and an 'I love you', both written and vocalised.

Cho meanwhile was also having fun. After only a few days she had her nails done, ears pierced with a fancy earring, a collection of new clothes and a top of the range variety of perfumes. She hadn't even got round to her hair and make up. She was also getting a daily mouth floss from Emma after her dental check up showed that Cho had OK teeth but needed some whitening in hard to get places. By the third day the teeth at her gum level were going from pale banana to dull white. Cho was beginning to think that Hermione might not recognise her at this rate, and she voiced this to Emma who said "We are not changing much in a sense. We know that you never used to be confident in yourself and by what Hermione said, it showed. You were still beautiful to her but the fact is other people saw a timid and broken Cho. You are no longer that girl anymore but your image still shows that broken girl. So we are not changing your overall appearance, we are just making your appearance emit confidence."

"That wasn't my question?"

"No. But it was the answer you wanted."

Cho smiled at the older woman.

"See, there's that confidence I was on about."

Cho indeed felt more confident each day. And she just couldn't stop imagining the look on her girlfriend's face when she saw this new confidence. But she still wished her girlfriend was with her so that she could tell her how beautiful she was, and that no makeover could ever exceed the brunette's angelic face and body.

She slept in Hermione's bed at nights, breathing in the bookworms scent. The cinnamon smell of Hermione's shampoo was like an aphrodisiac. A kiss to the pillow satisfied Cho enough to go asleep but she didn't feel as cosy or comfortable without Hermione.

She relished in receiving Hermione's letters. They were as precious to Cho as gold was to leprechauns. Cho could see the smile in her girlfriend's words, oh how pretty was her smile. But she could see the eagerness for her girlfriend to want her to be there. She would apparate then and there to the burrow and wrap the girl up in her arms, sod the consequences, if she thought that Hermione would one hundred percent think it was ok to. But no one can know about them outside Ginny, Obelix, Rosalina and Hermione's parents, until they could tell Harry together. Harry HAD to be the first to know before they could go public. So Cho could only kiss the letters in return and say 'I love you too'.

It was a cold summer night at the Burrow. Hermione was settled and ready to get out off her day clothes and have a shower. She set her pyjamas on the bed ready for when she got out when she heard Ginny from the bottom of the stairs and decided to listen.

"Mum?"

"Ginny? What is it?"

"I was wondering when Harry got here."

"What? Harry? Harry Who?"

"Harry Potter of course."

"I'd think I'd know if Harry was in my house, wouldn't I?"

"His trunk is in the kitchen. And his owl."

"No dear i seriously doubt that."

"Harry? Did someone say Harry?" came Ron's voice.

"Me, nosy. Is he up there with you?"

"Of course not. I'd think i'd know if my best friend was in my room, wouldn't I?"

Hermione hearing only parts of this decided to see what the fuss was about and that is when she heard a sharp chirp.

"Is that an owl i heard?" she commented.

"You haven't seen him have you, apparently he has been wandering about the house?"

"Really?" Hermione asked.

"Really." came another voice from the bottom of the stairs and they all went to see who it was.

There stood Harry Potter who in seconds was engulfed in Ginny's arms. A brief moment of silence and awkwardness followed before second place Hermione wrapped the black-haired boy in a hug of her own.

After everyone greeted the newcomer Molly sent Harry's trunk upstairs with a flurry of her wand and they all tried once again to settle down for the night but for some this was easier said than done. Hermione was bursting to tell Harry about her summer and about Cho. She knew she couldn't, not just because of the possible reaction but because Cho needed to be here too. Hermione though could barely take the strain of telling him. He arrived in a good mood and put everyone else in a good mood and it generally did look like he had finished grieving Sirius. This would've been a perfect opportunity...if only Cho was here.

After Hermione finally had her shower, Ginny came in to call it a night and both girls vacated to their beds. They spoke a little small talk until the subject of Harry came up.

"How great is it that Harry is here? I mean we knew he was coming but we thought he would be here tomorrow but he comes tonight." Ginny said, excitement completely unconcealed.

"Yes, I know Gin. But really even Harry didn't expect to be here tonight. He explained what Dumbledore did." Hermione rationalised.

"Why do you have to put a downer on things? Aren't you glad Harry is here?"

"Duh...his best friend here." Hermione joked.

Ginny threw her a knowing glance. "You sure did hold him tight when you hugged him, and it can't be because you like him cos you're totally smitten with Cho."

"What is your point exactly?" Hermione asked.

Ginny harumphed and said "My point is there is another reason why you like Harry being here. Not only do I know it but you know that i know i know it."

"Then what is it that you know that i know that you know...just tell me what it is." Hermione said confusing herself.

"You are thinking of coming out to Harry." Ginny said loudly.

Hermione shushed her ferociously and said "Merlin Ginny, want to say that any louder? I'm not sure everyone in the damn house heard you."

"Ah, shuddup with your face." Ginny said nonchalantly. "But i assure you Harry is not gonna be a problem."

Hermione looked at Ginny and said. "Bearing in mind i'm only telling him I'm lesbian. Not that i'm with Cho."

"Why not?"

"Well for one i'm not telling him without Cho present. And also the fact that i'm a lesbian and in love with his ex and was the reason that they split up, all that at once is too much for Harry to take in."

"OK. That sounds wise. But like i said, Harry will be fine with it."

"How do you know?"

"Because i will make sure of it" Ginny said with a salacious smirk. "He will be fine if he get's a girlfriend of his own huh? anyway this is Harry we are on about. The most understanding and patient guy we know. Last year's Harry wasn't Harry at all in a sense. Harry Potter is back."

"I hope you're right" Hermione said nervously.

"No, you shouldn't worry about Harry... You should however worry about Ron?"

Hermione frowned at this and said "Why Ron?"

Ginny snorted and said "Yeah right, like you haven't noticed."

"Ginny what are you going on about?"

Ginny too frowned when she realised Hermione was being serious. "Seriously. You haven't noticed. THE Hermione Focused Granger, haven't even noticed something obviously clear to everyone else."

"Noticed what Ginny?"

"Ron is head over heels for you."

"Come again?"

Ginny sighed and spoke over-dramatically slowly. "Ronaaaallld. Weaaaassssley. Isssssss. Innnnnnn. Love. With. Youuuuuuuuu."

Hermione blinked several times before face-palming her hand so hard it sounded more like a slap. "Oh that's why he has been so overly nice. How could I not have seen this?"

"You had other things on your mind I guess. Or people. Cho in particular." Ginny offered.

"Great, now i can't tell Harry that i'm into girls." Hermione groaned frustratedly.

"Look, just tell Harry to keep the 'into girls' thing between you for now."

Hermione replied. "And then what? Sit back and watch Ron dote over me? Or worse ask me out and I reject him or flee the room?"

"You are just going to have to face the music. If that happens, then you tell him the truth." Ginny advised.

"He is not gonna like it." Hermione fretted.

"Then that's his problem. You just focus on telling Harry for now."

Hermione agreed. They both said their goodnights and in minutes Ginny was asleep. Hermione however was just staring at the ceiling thinking about Harry, about Ron but mostly about Cho. And it was the last person on her mind that succumbed Hermione to sleep.

"Unlucky Ron. You are definitely getting better in goal. I'm literally just that good as a chaser." Ginny complimented him, unable to avoid a bit of egotism.

"Yeah yeah.I still don't see why you couldn't have used Harry as a chaser. I mean talk about throwing me in the deep end." Ron complained.

"Harry isn't a chaser Ron. You can't expect the opposition to go easy on you if you make the Gryffindor team."

"Besides Ron, you will improve quicker if you practice with someone exceptionally good at chasing. It highers your expectation during a real match so you react quicker and position yourself better." Harry informed him, showing his merits for being made Gryffindor Captain.

Ron groaned at this and Ginny flushed pink a little at being complemented by Harry, who didn't notice.

"This isnt a real match though. It's a lark about" Ron moaned further.

"Oh Ron. It didn't look like just a match to you when you penalised Ginny about scoring from behind the posts." Hermione interjected from the shade of the tree she was reading under as the group came past, heading for the broom shed.

Ron looked Hermione's way and smiled at her. "So you saw me? Hermione, did you see me fly?"

Feeling like a mother congratulating a young child, Hermione replied. "Yes Ron, you did very well."

"Thanks Mione" he said happily, both her and Ginny rolled their eyes at the red-headed boy.

Hermione got up to follow them back to the shed. In truth she hadn't been watching the others play, neither was she able to read much during their fly about. The conversation she wanted to have with Harry was playing on her mind. And the longer she took to tell him the more she worried.

"Hermione, can you hold this for a second?" Harry asked her surprising her out of her reverie. Apparently Ron was too lazy to place his broom back properly. Harry was now trying to juggle two brooms and get his wand so he could make his job easier. He ended up asking Hermione to take his Firebolt.

"Oh. Sure." Hermione answered taking the broom.

"RON!" Ginny cried.

"What?"

"SPIDER IN YOUR HAIR!"

"Wha-Where!?" he said whilst running his palms through his hair.

"Oh, it fell out. It landed in your pocket. Quick get inside and we will get it out."

Ron sprinted for the house with a jogging Ginny following. Hermione, knowing there was no spider in Ron's hair, saw this as a distraction to get Hermione alone with Harry to tell him her secret. Ginny confirmed this by shooting Hermione an 'it's now or never' look.

Harry chuckled and said "Good to see Ron's fear of spiders hasn't diminished."

" comical at times." Hermione joined in, before getting back to the point at hand. "Im glad they're gone cos I need to speak to you."

"What about?" Harry asked still distracted with clearing the shed and tidying it up.

"Harry I can't have this conversation with the back of your head."

"Sorry". He replied closing the door and locking it with a quick Colloportus. He turned to her. "What were you saying?"

"I just...want to tell you something. It...possibly...could be friendship breaking stuff so...can you promise...that you answer me truthfully and...treat this seriously as I'm nervous as it is." Hermione was able to get out.

Harry saw the worry in his friend's eyes and said "I promise. Whats up Mione? Are you in trouble?"

"No...it's just a secret about me that for obvious reasons I haven't told anyone about because I didn't want them to think less of me." Hermione admitted.

"Mione!" Harry scorned. "I couldn't think MORE greatly of you. A little secret...doesn't change that."  
Hermione thanked him but added "This secret isn't small though...and you could potentially hate me for it."

Harry turned completely expressionless. He wasn't liking where this was coming from. Hermione knew she passed the point of no return and that just increased her anxiety.

"I'm listening." Harry told her.

"I'm...I'm...err. You know...well..." Hermione tried, she really did try to tell him. But she broke down with worry and in moments she was in tears.

"Hey hey hey. Mione calm down. You don't have to tell me if it makes you feel like this." Harry soothed as Hermione collapsed into him, hands rubbing her back and shoulders.

They lay there, comforter and comfortee, one consoling the other back to normal whilst the other dug deep into herself to overcome her emotions and nerves.

Harry surprised them both by saying "This is a lifestyle secret isn't it? Like a personal secret no one knows about? Am i right?"

Hermione sniffed and pulled back. "Kind of. Personal definitely, but other people know. My parents. Ginny knows too."

"Ginny knows?"

"Yes. But you are the hardest person, bar Ron probably, that I can tell. Because you are my greatest friend and I love our friendship to pieces."

"What is it then? Are you ill? You haven't got a serious illness have you?" Harry asked. Worry was etched into his voice.

"No. I'm fine and healthy."

Harry was relieved and soon his eyes widened and he slapped his forehead. "Oh god Hermione. If it's about you liking Ron then it's not really a surprise."

"No. For Merlin's sake, why does everyone think because Ron likes me that means I like him. Well, I don't for the record. In fact...he is so not my type that anyone who doesn't know could never imagine how not my type he is"

"You don't like Ron because of this secret?"

" It is the reason why I couldn't ever be Ron's type. When Ron fancied Fleur the year before people asked me if I was jealous and back then I said 'why should I be jealous of a disgusting, piglike boy and a snobby, overdramatic floozy?' But if they asked me that same question this year I would've said 'If I was jealous of one of them I would most likely be jealous of Ron. Because Fleur is more my type than he is'".

Harry contemplated this and said "Why?"

"Because Harry, she is a girl."

"What does that have to do wi-"Harry stopped mid-sentence.

Hermione responded to the slightly doubtful expression he shot her by insistently nodding in confirmation.

"You...are a lesbian?"

And then all sense of time stopped for Hermione. She was searching for hints of anger or resentment in his voice but it might as well have been robotic. His eyes weren't even visible as the light and the new position Harry had taken meant all she could see in the lense of his glasses was her own worried face looking back at her.

"Harry," she started softly "say something"

She awaited a reply but it didn't come. Taking this as a sign to escape her mortification, Hermione turned to walk away when something she never thought she would hear came from the direction of the boy she just came out to. He laughed.

"Hahahahahaha"

Hermione gave him a baffled look. "What?"

"A lesbian...Hermione, are you trying to melt Ronald Weasley into a puddle of arousal. I think Ron would like you even more if you kissed someone like Fleur." Harry told her, smiling a cheshire grin.

Hermione glared and smacked his arm. "Firstly, never scare me like that again. Secondly, you are an arse Harry Potter. I don't need reminding that Ron likes me."

"I'm sorry." Harry recovered and addressed her inquisitively. "When did you find out?"

Hermione turned shy, scratching her arm lightly. "Beginning of last year. So are you ok with it? with me?"

Hermione asked that question to quickly direct him away from asking HOW she found wasn't about to say 'I found out i'm into girls because I dreamt of Cho, the person I took a liking to prior to that dream and who you ended up dating.' Also, she needed Harry's reassurance that nothing had changed between them.

"Mione, although I can see why you didn't tell me, you still should've. I was bitter last year but i'm pretty sure i would have stuck by you. Besides, why were you hiding something that has nothing to be ashamed of?"

"Because I could've hurt the people around me. I might've change our friendship for the worse. I guess homosexuals always take a while to come out, because of that exact reason."

"That was never gonna happen with us Hermione. I thought you knew that?"

"I knew certain things could never affect our friendship, I thought this was not one of those certain things. And it isn't. This is me, I found my true identity and i'm not naive to think that everyone is gonna like it. I realised if i can't and won't change who I am, then maybe I should hide it and only show it to the important people in my life, and when i'm ready to tell them."

"I see." Harry said conversationally. "Are you into anyone?"

Hermione froze and stiffened. "I wouldn't go there Harry".

Not seeing her uneasiness Harry blurted "You DO. Who is it? Someone I know?"

Hermione winced. "Really Harry. I don't want to talk about it." She couldn't tell him. Not here. Not without Cho.

"Who?" Harry said.

Crap. She said Cho's name out loud. Luckily it was mumbled.

"No one Harry. Please, just stop."

"Phew" came an exhausted Ron who had returned without either of the other two knowing it. "What did I miss? Hermione?".

" False alarm guys it was just a weirdly shaped leaf. Well, shall we go inside." Ginny said from behind Ron. She looked at Hermione's stricken form and thought the worst. Harry noticed this and said "Ginny, can I have a quick word?"

Ginny semi-blushed but saw what this was about and nodded. She sidealonged Harry as they walked round the house.

"Ginny has really got to check her eyesight. How does a leaf look like a spider?" Ron said as he and Hermione stood there.

"I don't know Ron. Can we go inside? The sun is going down and I'm cold." Hermione lied walking away.

'Phew...that was a close one' she thought.

"Ginny, how long have you known Hermione was gay?" Harry asked.

"Ergh, don't say gay. It's really crude and guys are gay, girls are lesbians. Since Christmas." Ginny answered honestly.

"Six months ago? Why did I find out nine months after Hermione found out but you only had three?"

"Sorry. I didn't ask her to tell me you know."

"I wasn't being sour Ginny, I was trying to understand Hermione's mind set. She kept a secret that big for that long. It's...admirable." Harry assured.

"It sure is. And you don't know the whole story. If you did you will be blown out your mind." Ginny said. "And before you ask, no I'm not telling you the full story."

Harry sighed. "I was terrible this year wasn't I? If I had been a better friend to her I might've seen the signs."

"What signs? Even after Hermione told me I could never really tell the difference. And the reason for that is simple. Hermione has always been this way. She just didn't know that she was a lesbian. What were we expecting to see? Hermione throwing herself at girls, sucking lollipops and showing off tattoos?"

Harry chuckled. "I guess not."

"Besides, I think the main reason Hermione waited this long to tell you is because of who she is in love with."

Ginny covered her mouth as soon as she said that. Talking to Harry made her comfortable. Too comfortable. So comfortable that she just says before she thinks and now she could be single-handedly breaking Hermione and Harry's friendship.

"What?" Harry exclaimed. "Why would she do that? Did she think I would object or something? Is the person she is in love with that bad?"

"I shouldn't have said anything Harry." Ginny apologised mentally to Hermione as she picked her pace up to get away but Harry was having none of it.

He stepped in front of her causing them to bump into one another. He caught her by her shoulders and she held onto him. Ginny was flush up against Harry, breathing onto his neck. She looked up to see Harry looking dazedly at her. She drew level with him, faces within centimetres from each other. Both were unknowingly holding their breath.

She was about to lean in when Harry came to and said "Well, uhm anyway." He pulled away slightly to Ginny's displeasure and continued "Who is Hermione in love with?"

Ginny huffed and stepped back. Harry was blocking her way so she had to say something.

"Harry, she told me in confidence. I shouldn't have told you any of that really. She will kill me, have my guts for garters, put my head on a spike, in that order. She will tell you herself when her girlfriend is-oh for Merlin's sake!"

Ginny literally shoved Harry out the way and went into the house. Harry stood outside thinking about what Ginny let slip.

"Why will Hermione not tell me who her girlfriend is?" Harry asked himself. He wasn't gonna pry any longer. He was doing more harm than good. Ginny was saying that Hermione will tell him with whoever it is she is dating. But judging by the worry on Ginny and Hermione's faces, Harry was expecting the worst. 'Just tell me soon ."

"Hurry up Ron! We have prefect duties." Hermione said impatiently.

"Hermione. Train leaves in fifteen minutes. Why the rush?" He replied.

"Ronald. Younger students need help getting on train. Need guidance. Need a nice warm smile welcoming them because they are probably nervous. So we have to meet all of them as they get on. That's why?"

Ron snickered. "Mione, no offence but you're the one who sounds nervous right now."

"Shut up"

Ron had indeed hit the nail on the head. She was nervous. Ever since Ginny had come back from her talk with Harry she had been nervous. She saw Ginny on the bed, face buried in the pillow. Thinking she was crying, Hermione sat on her bed. In fact Ginny wasn't crying, she was just babbling great curses at herself in annoyance that were thankfully muffled by the pillow. Hermione asked her what happened with Harry and Ginny admitted what she let slip. Hermione was a bit angry at Ginny for a while after that. She ignored her right up until the next morning when Hermione decided to grow up and not cry over spilt milk. As long as she didn't let slip the big secret.

Harry never told Ron either. Even he knew that Ron wasn't the person to include in this. He also never asked any more questions, not that he even had much chance to. Hermione was dismissive and vague in anything Harry told her and went to great lengths to talk to Ginny or Ron over Harry. Harry pretended to be hurt over this but he wasn't really. He had much leniency towards Hermione as she had a heck of a lot more bravery than he ever anticipated.

Hermione hated being nervous. It's the only feeling she feels these days it seems. She knew Harry would eventually worm the answers out her or Ginny. So she had to see Cho as soon as possible and plan a way to tell him. However Cho doesn't know that Harry knows Hermione's a lesbian and has a girlfriend. Would she feel betrayed by Hermione? Would she get upset and think Hermione doesn't keep promises? Hermione's brain was saying 'don't be daft, it's not as of the leaked information was about Cho, Harry is still completely unaware that you and Cho are together' but the doubts were hard to ignore.

At eight fifty two Hermione was still welcoming students onto the train. She just finished directing a sweet first year girl to where the majority of the other first years were when a pair of delicate, warm hands clasped over her eyes from behind.

"Don't look yet. I need to pose the right way."

"Hello to you too my love. You are such a model." Hermione replied.

She turned in the direction of her girlfriend eyes shut.

"Honestly, I bet you had just a haircut and new clothes. All this hype really isn't necessary."

"Oh but it is, you'll see. Ok and open them."

Hermione did just that and the sight astonished her.

Cho was wearing a white snug and unrevealing spaghetti top with jean shorts showing two thirds of her legs. Her mascara and fake lashes were subtly outlined and she had stunningly pretty lip gloss. In her right ear was a small studded earring with a blue gem glistening. Her teeth almost replicated Hermione's in their whiteness. But the most obvious and most breathtaking change was her hair that started black at her scalp but gradually led into a dark blue and finished a sky blue.

"Well what do you think?" she asked excitedly.

Hermione gaped and said nothing. Cho was about to ask if she didn't like it when Hermione grabbed her wrist and spun her around. Cho was catapulted into a door and was instantly pinned against it by her girlfriend who immediately kissed her neck and cheeks.

"I think you look fantastic." she said finally when she pulled back. "You did all this for me?"

"And for myself. But yeah."

Hermione smiled and tugged her away from the door, opened it then pushed Cho inside. Hermione stepped in and closed it behind her. They were in complete darkness, probably in a store cupboard.

"You do still have students to welcome you know?" Cho stated.

"Sod it. You're here, and I need you." Hermione replied.

That was the last word either of them said for several minutes.

The train whistled and that signalled that the two girls should find a compartment before continuing their snog fest.

They found a compartment and sat in it. Instead of getting right back on it though, Hermione had to tell Cho what happened during the weeks away.

"Cho, there is something I need to tell you. Harry knows about me."

"What does he know? You didn't tell him about us did you?"

"No. Of course not. Like I said, not without you. He just knows i'm into girls. I came out to him."

Cho smiled. "You did? You are a Gryffindor, aren't you? Well done my angel."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Wasn't expecting that. Aren't you upset?"

It was Cho's turn to raise her eyebrows. "Why should I be upset?"

"Because I told someone without running it by you first."

Cho laughed and said "Hermione that was your secret. You don't need my permission to reveal your own secrets."

"Oh. Thanks. But that's not it." Hermione was looking vulnerable again.

"What?"

"He knows I have a girlfriend." Hermione admitted. She instantly closed her eyes and waited for an eruption. But none came.

"But he doesn't know who right? Hermione, you can open your eyes. I'm not gonna yell at you."

"Why on earth not?"

Cho laughed again. "You really crack me up sometimes. We are going to tell Harry anyway, why are you getting so edgy about me not liking it? Hermione, I don't really care how much he knows. As long as we tell him about us together. You are free to say anything else on your own."

Hermione took Cho's hand. "You sure you are not upset.?"

"The only thing that bothers me a little is that you NEVER mentioned this in your letters. I could have offered my help and advice. I'm here to help you baby, that's what girlfriends are for. That and loving each other and kisses."

"OK. I will tell you in future. I'm sorry. Cho, you are the best girlfriend ever. I love you" Hermione pronounced.

"Me too my angel" Cho told her. "I love you too." Then she kissed Hermione quickly but sweetly. "Come on you."  
She then got up and slid the door open.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked.

"You mean where are we going. We, my dear, are going to see Harry."

Before Hermione could even react Cho had left and Hermione immediately shot up. 'Is she crazy?! She seriously isn't thinking of doing what I think she is doing, is she?!' Hermione thought to herself frantically.

She violently slid the door open and hastily followed after her girlfriend. She saw her right at the end of the corridor scanning through each compartment she passed.

"Cho! Cho, what are you doing?" Hermione called.

"Looking for Harry. Aha!" She said stopping outside a compartment, seeing her objective inside. Hermione was now speedily running to catch her up.

Cho had reached for the door when it opened on the onside and Ron was in the doorway, then he violently barged Cho out of the way and walked down the corridor obliviously.

When Hermione caught up she sent an angry glare at Ron's and asked Cho. "Are you OK?" Her concern now was over her girlfriend's well-being.

"I'm fine. No bruises or anything."

"What the hell was his problem?" Hermione seethed, still glaring daggers in the direction he made off in despite him no longer in sight.

"I don't know but never mind about it now. We have something else to attend to."

Hermione took Cho's face in her hand and made her look at her. "Nobody hurts my girl and gets away with it."

"Your girl huh?" Came a familiar voice by the door.

Hermione froze in fear. That voice is one of the best sounds in the world normally but when you are nervous and frightened it could be the scariest noise too. Even Cho had a bit of worry twinkling in those newly decorated eyes. The voice belonged to one Harry James Potter who was currently standing in the door eyeing the pair up.

"Tell me everything"

An; cliffhanger haha. What do you think of it?

Reviews pls

Part 3 to come


	19. Chapter 19

An; sorry for that teaser before, I couldn't resist in putting that cliffhanger right as Harry found out. It was like a TV programme that holds something back until the next episode. I don't normally do cliffhangers but that one I had to do.

But at least you didn't have to wait long to find out how Harry reacted so here it is. This is also the beginning of the Ron Vs Cho battle, but we all know already who is gonna win.

Chapter 19: Ron Vs Cho pt.1

The air was still and not Hermione or Cho dared to breathe out of place. They now sat in the compartment, side by side, with Harry opposite them. He had kindly asked Ginny to give them a few minutes of privacy and she agreed. She left the compartment, giving the couple reassuring but also worried looks.

"Well obviously you don't need to tell me that you two are together." Harry informed. "You also don't need to tell me how long it's been going on. But I want to know how this happened. So please, go on."

Hermione found her courage first. "Well, I firstly realised I had a crush on Cho back in September. We couldn't seem to stop meeting. I also had a very graphic and slightly mortifying dream about her, that was when I found my sexuality."

"Did you want to befriend Cho so you two could hit it off then?"

"There was more to it than just wanting Cho for myself. I knew she had a problem and I didn't think that you would take the time to confront Cho about them yourself. After all, you didn't even know. So I made it my mission to really try to help Cho, and if it got me her attention then it was a bonus."

"At times you were also trying to stop me from even speaking to Cho, like that time when we did the blood bindings. You manipulated the situation so I was forced to help Nigel instead of Cho. Were you always that jealous?"

Hermione tried a few times to speak but she stopped before the words could come out. On the fourth try she succeeded. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't jealous. But really it was more to do with competition, and besides that time I needed that few moments of alone time with Cho to try and help her see how much of a friend I could be."

"But why was I not allowed to befriend her?" Harry followed up.

"You wasn't looking for friendship. You just wanted to date her and I knew that you wouldn't seek to help her with her problems, being that you had things on your mind too. So I held you back a little."

"If all that is true, why did you encourage me to kiss her?"

Cho also spoke up, looking at her girlfriend.

"You encouraged him, despite the fact you was in love with me?"

"It's what Harry wanted and you said yourself you might hit it off with him. I gave you both what you wanted".

Cho shook her head. "You are so sweet. But so stupid too."

"Yeah. But anyone would've done the same." Hermione defended.

Harry continued his questioning. "So what made you change your mind so quickly? It is obvious that that happened, especially at Christmas."

"After you two kissed I found a drawing in my pocket. I recognised it as a drawing Cho drew but it now had me on it. It showed me how important I was to Cho and it was the first sign that she may like me back."

"So you were trying to split us up?"

Hermione begrudgingly answered. "Yes."

Cho then said. "I didn't exactly make it that difficult either".

"It was Christmas day when we kissed for the first time." Hermione added.

"So Cho, you were cheating on me?"

"No Harry, we both agreed to avoid being as intimate as possible. We didn't kiss or anything after that until you dumped me." Cho replied as Hermione nodded.

"So you betrayed the DA so i would dump you?"

"That's the thing Harry, I was the one who gave her the idea to betray the DA" Hermione admitted.

"It might sound crazy but in the long run we thought the betrayal might mean that when you found out about us you wouldn't care as much. I would completely tarnish your feelings towards me so me and Hermione being together wouldn't be as bad."

"You're right that was crazy." Harry said. "Was I that much of a monster last year that people deceived and lied to me to protect their secrets?"

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry Harry. You must understand that I loved and still love Cho. Maybe I was the monster for being selfish. I regret the lies and deceit, but I don't regret doing what I did to get Cho. It got me the best thing that's ever happened to me." Hermione confessed, taking Cho's hand in hers.

Cho swelled with love at her girlfriend's words and squeezed her hand.

"If you are angry at us, we more than understand. We deserve it. It's a relief that you finally know but we don't want this to ruin anything." Cho told Harry.

They sat in silence whilst Harry looked at them. Taking in the way they were seeking each others comfort, stating loud and clear that whatever happens they had each other. This was not a pair of sleazy traitors and poisonous cheats, they were two girls. One he knew for six straight years and of whom he didn't fully know until just recently, he always knew who she was even if she didn't. She wasn't a bookworm, know-it-all with a bossy attitude and a buzzkill like many people thought. She was a loyal, intelligent, caring and courageous girl with a rational mind that sometimes gets thwarted by a tendency to follow her best friend through every dangerous mission, knowing it would be a trap.

The other girl he didn't know as much but what he did know was she was considered an emotional wreck, scared of her own shadow and as social as a brick wall. Harry knew differently. Her life was just as scarred as his own. Despite not knowing the full details of her problems he does know the effort and will to battle them was the only thing that was keeping her going before. She was only looking for acceptance, for love, for someone who cares. And when she found that someone and knew they weren't going anywhere, she transformed into a confident, funny and happy girl.

What he saw before him wasn't just a relationship. It was destiny. Fate. Soulmates. Both fill the void the other person needs filling. They shouldn't need to fight for their destiny but they had to. No matter who they lost along the way. No matter what underhanded tactics they had to use.

They weren't traitors. They were fighters.

"Girls. I just have one thing to say." Harry finally said.

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

Harry smiled and said. "Never split up. You are both too adorable together. If you split up the whole world will miss the happiness."

Hermione shot up and wrapped her arms tightly round his neck, choking him in a hug. "Thank you Harry. You wonderful, brilliant, fantastic, amazing, incredible man."

Hermione pulled away before she killed the guy and apologised. Harry had no time to reply because Cho then snuck in and kissed him firmly on the forehead.

"My word you two are really happy about this aren't you?"

"Harry, you have no idea how much we have worried about you hating us. Especially me, I couldn't bare losing you as a friend. You're the greatest." Hermione told him happily.  
"And now you've told us it's ok. We can come out properly as a couple now". Cho added

"Good luck to both of you." Harry said "But you sure you want to come out to EVERYONE?"

"Yes. Why?" Cho asked.

Harry exchanged a look with Hermione and said "Hermione? Why don't you tell her?"

"Harry it's probably only a crush. He will get over it." Hermione told him.

"No. He is like a puppy round you. He loves you." Harry replied.

"What you on about?" Cho asked, she turned to her girlfriend and shot her a no-nonsense 'tell me' look. "Who is in love with you?"

Hermione sighed. "Ron has been showing very clear signs of attraction for me recently."

"That's an understatement. He is blatantly in love with you Mione, as in love with you as Malfoy is arrogant." Harry told her

Hermione groaned. Cho just giggled. Then she realised something.

"I don't think we need to tell Ron." Cho stated. "I think he already knows."

Hermione and Harry turned in their seats to face Cho. "Why would he know?" Harry asked.

"I don't know why. He might not know we are together but he knows we hold a candle for each other."

"How do you know this?" Hermione asked.

"Earlier when he barged into me he said something as he walked away. He said 'You're wasting your time. She likes me more.'"

"He could of meant in a friend way. He could've meant you will never be her friend.". Harry offered.

"Then why not just say that? Why say 'she likes me more'?"

"Either way, he was way out of order. I will be having words with him later." Hermione said sternly.

"You'll be needing more than just words." Harry said reluctantly.

"What now?" Hermione said agitatedly.

"I just remembered. Back at the Burrow he got a letter from Lavender Brown, completely out of the blue. It said they should be friends and hang out more. At first he wasn't interested. Then he saw you Hermione, outside the Burrow writing something. He didn't know I could hear him. He muttered something like 'if you're gonna write and spend time with HER, then two can play at that game'.

Hermione was astonished by this. One of her best friends knew about her relationship and because he had feelings for her he was attempting to make things difficult.

"What does he hope to achieve by doing that? I'm not attracted to him, in any sense of the word. HE is wasting his time, not Cho." Hermione fumed.

"That guy definitely has a overfed ego." Cho added.

"I would keep a low profile in my opinion" Harry advised.

Hermione scowled. "Why should we? We have been a couple for four months and we still aren't fully out yet. Just because one jealous, lovesick boy thinks I'm his. In fact this just makes me wanna come out more, to shove in his face the fact I'm with Cho not him."

"Hermione, this is a dangerous game. Don't go showboating your relationship with Cho to counter Ron's antics. The jealousy game never ends well." Harry urged her.

Hermione was about to argue that when Cho said "Harry is right my angel. Let him play the idiot and just ignore him."

Hermione was stubborn though. "He needs to learn I'm out of bounds ,right? That's why he is doing this, to try and snare me into being with him. It's not gonna happen. I will tell him to his face I'm with you Cho and if he continues to give me and you a rough time, I will give him one too. If he wants to play games, let's play some." Hermione finished her rant and Cho knew nothing she could say now will change her girlfriend's mind.

Harry was about to continue his plea but Cho shook her head at him. "No Harry."

In the next five minutes Ginny came back and gave another oxygen-restraining hug when she heard he condoned Hermione and Cho. She also told them Ron was gonna be with  
Lavender and company for the rest of the journey. Not the minutes later Harry left seeing Malfoy walk past so he decided to follow, not without his cloak of course. Then Ginny left when Dean came looking for her and the girls were alone again.

Cho leant her head on Hermione's shoulder and snuggled into her side. Hermione wrapped an arm round her waist and rested her cheek on Cho's head.

"You OK baby?"

"Of course my angel" Cho answered. "I'm so glad Harry knows and still wants to speak to us."

"Me too. Well, I would do I'm his best friend. And now you see why he is mine." Hermione said. "Shame the jury is still put on my other one."

"Don't give him a hard time my angel. I don't want to see you both miserable."

"I can promise I will speak to him. But if he wants to make things difficult I can't promise I will not make his life difficult too."

Cho chuckled and said "The irony."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"You. The irony that normally when two people think someone belongs to them they battle each other, not the girl they both want."

"This situation is different to that though. Ron knows we are together so he should know that I am yours. No amount of jealousy and games can change that."

Cho tilted her head and kissed the corner of Hermione's mouth. "No amount indeed."

...

"WILL YOU STOP EATING!" Hermione snapped, hitting Ron with the Daily Prophet. "Your best friend is missing."

"Turn around you lunatic." Ron grumbled. That was the first time Ron hadn't said something overly nice to Hermione. And all it took was a couple whacks to the head. Hermione was a little amused at this.

She turned to see Harry entering the hall. "He has blood on his shirt" Ginny observed. "Why is he always covered in blood?"

Not long after Harry came in Cho followed. She saw Hermione and made a beeline for the Gryffindor table. Hermione got worried a little but suddenly remembered they were officially out now. The way people looked at them on the way up to the castle and into the great hall, fingers entwined and giving each other occasional self-conscious looks, was of a mixture of disbelief and confusion, with an obvious hint of arousal from the guys. But all those were welcome as it showed no hostility or disgust (except for the Slytherins who looked down their noses at anything Hermione did, she wasn't bothered about their opinion in the slightest). Hermione was just used to the secrecy but she knew she would quickly get past that in no time.

"Hey my angel. I had to speak to Flitwick about something. What have I missed?" Cho said sliding in next to her girlfriend who made space.

Hermione answered Cho's question whilst fishing for cream crackers and pouring her some pumpkin juice. "The usual. Ron eating like a wild boar, Harry arriving from some sort of dangerous encounter and the first years have been sorted."

"Oh goody" Cho said.

Hermione offered the food plus some cheese and pickle and Cho started to piece them together. Ginny saw the whole thing and couldn't help but ask "Hermione, how did you do that?"

"Sorry Ginny?"

"You got all that ready for Cho the moment she came to the table, and she didn't ask you to or tell you what she wanted."

"Well Cho likes to have cheese and pickle crackers and a hot chocolate before bed. Unfortunately the house elves made to cook for us..." She said this bit bitterly. "...Don't serve hot beverages so it's just pumpkin juice."

"I do indeed. I share with Hermione too." Cho said affectionately. She followed this revelation by snapping a cheese-filled cracker in half and handed it to Hermione who chewed on it.

"But how would you know?" Ginny said still confused. "That is a random thing to admit out the blue."

"Oh did we not tell you?" Hermione said swallowing her mouthful of food. "Cho lives at home with me and my parents now."

Ginny recoiled a bit at that and Ron next to them finally turned his attention away from his food to stare disbelievingly at the couple. "You are living together?"

"For your information Ron, yes me and Cho could be considered living with each other but it technically isn't living together." Hermione stated. 'Tell me it's wrong, I dare you' Hermione thought seeing Ron get visibly upset. Instead of blowing up though he calmly left the table.

"I'm tired. I'm heading up." He managed three paces before Hermione excused herself.

"Where you going Hermione baby?" Cho asked.

"I need that conversation with Ron remember."

"Will I see you later or will you tell me how it went in the morning?"

"Morning probably. This might not go well at all and I might need a good night sleep if it doesn't."

" Well in that case, good night Mione"

"Night Cho." She kissed her goodnight and followed after her objective.

Ginny watched Cho watch Hermione leave and, so Cho couldn't hear, she mumbled softly. "Absolutely adorable. The pair of them"

...

"How did that talk go?" Cho asked her girlfriend the next morning.

Hermione looked confused. "Very strange. He kept saying we were good for each other and that he only wants me to be happy but I know he doesn't believe it, everyone else knows too and he himself could barely pretend he doesn't either."

Cho hummed and said "Well at least he isn't being sour and moody about it."

"That is what's confusing?" Hermione replied. "The Ron I know would never hide what he thinks, he would give it to me straight and quite bluntly at that too. I told you about the Yule Ball right?"

"Yes, my angel."

"That is the Ron I was expecting to talk to last night, not a submissive boy bottling up his emotions."

"Maybe this has affected him worse than we think." Cho offered.

"If that is the case I don't know whether to be cautious or not. This is so uncharacteristic of Ron that i'm not sure I could get through or handle this new Ron."

Cho kissed her on the cheek and said "Forget about it, whatever happens at least I will be there to support you. Now eat your breakfast."

"Ok...my...sugar cube?" Hermione offered uncertainly after picking up some sugar to pour in her morning tea.

Cho laughed hysterically and Hermione knew that that was her worst pet-name suggestion to date.

An;shorter chapter, next one will be longer promise

Reviews pls.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Ron Vs Cho pt.2

"As if i could ever compete with Mclaggen, I mean he catches things without looking and with one hand. I can barely catch with both hands." Ron moaned.

"Ron you are underestimating yourself, if you get on the pitch like you are now you have already failed. You need to stay focused and stay confident." Harry advised.

"But competing against Mclaggen is impossible."

"Firstly, Mclaggen is cocky and makes silly mistakes. Secondly, forget you are competing, just block all your homework and classes..."

"Done." Ron said with a grin.

Harry chuckled a bit before continuing "...and the competition and any distracting thoughts, from your mind. Focus on the quaffle and only the quaffle."

Ron looked unsure until he looked past Harry and saw Hermione... accompanied by Cho of course...taking her seat in a stand. She sensed his eyes on her and looked at him, giving him an encouraging smile and a mouthed 'Good luck'.

"Right, I'm ready" Ron said before mounting his broom and flying towards the hoops.

Meanwhile in the stands Cho raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing. You realise how much Ron has been seeking your encouragement and approval lately so you wouldn't be deliberately being overly nice to him, would you?"

"He is my friend Cho, i'm allowed to be supportive."

"Yes, I know that. But that guy up there wants more than friendship, are you sure being supportive is wise."

"I don't know. Are you sure you are not jealous?" Hermione retorted fondly.

Cho, who was not ready for that question, backtracked and spluttered as she tried to deny what Hermione was asking.

"Cho babe, I know you are, I see it in your eyes every time I speak to Ron. Every smile at him it makes you more and more bitter. And it isn't because you are stressed. What is there to be stressed about?" Hermione took Cho's hand and kissed the back of it. "Being jealous is not a bad thing."

"I know."

"But do you?" Hermione asked rhetorically. "You think that you can hide it but you can't, jealousy will eat away at you from the inside. So much that you can't fail but to look jealous despite your efforts. You see the bad things jealousy does to people. It can destroy relationships completely if it overwhelms you and causes you to do irrational things. The key to conquering it is to admit it."

"What good will it do?"

"The world of good. Because then I would know, and I will tell you straight that I, Hermione Jean Granger; currently legally engaged to be Mrs Hermione Granger-Chang, only has eyes for her legally bound fiancee, Miss Cho Lou Chang."

Cho laughed. "You're so corny"

"Only for your jealous self." Hermione said softly. She cupped Cho's cheek and pulled her into a playful kiss, nibbling on her lover's lip when she parted again. "You make me feel so sexy and wanted when you get jealous over me."

"That figures. I happen to find you sexy and want you more and more each day. And he..." Cho said defiantly, pointing up at the lanky, red-head swooping across the front of the goalposts. "...is not getting anywhere near your sexy body."

Hermione grinned toothily whilst her cheeks went a couple of shades crimson. "I love jealous Cho so much. Can you be jealous all the time, please?"

Ten minutes, and a thousand passionate kisses later, Ron had finished his practice and Cormac Mclaggen flew up to the goalposts. His cocky swagger making every eye on the pitch and in the stand roll. He hovered, awaiting the signal to start, and shot a saucy look at Hermione in the crowd who could barely contain her creeped out expression. Cho could sense it though and snickered quietly.

Mclaggen looked away again and Hermione finally had the opportunity to lightly smack Cho's hand. "You arse. I heard that snicker there."

"Gee, is there any guy out there that doesn't have the hots for you?" Cho said.

"You don't seem as jealous about Mclaggen as you are about Ron?"

"Come on Hermione. Even Ron appeals to you more than Mclaggen does." Cho stated.

"That's true. As shocking as that sounds." Hermione replied.

The truth was though that Cho was more jealous of Ron because she was scared of him too. Not like intimidation scary but scary as in scared of what he can do. Ron arguably knows Hermione better than Cho does, certainly for much longer. Hermione could reject Ron to her hearts content but he will always be one of her closest friends. The Golden Trio is so strongly bonded that only death or downright betrayal could separate them, the former being the more likely. And people seem to forget that the bonds aren't just through Harry. It's not categorised as a friendship in which the brunette and the red-head orbit Harry, it's a triangular friendship. Harry is Hermione's friend, Ron is Harry's friend, Hermione is Ron's friend, Ron is Hermione's friend, Hermione is Harry's friend, Harry is Ron's friend. And that has been, is and always will be the case.

What happens when more feelings develop between the Trio? It has happened for one person in the Trio already. It may seem daft but it seemed to Cho that the Trio's 'code' says feelings should develop in Hermione too. And for the boy mentioned.

That thought, if spoken aloud, would've been swept up and picked apart quite firmly by always logical Hermione.

But it wasn't.

Cho knew deep down that Hermione cares far more for her romantically than any other person alive or dead. But Cho could not say for certain if she thought Hermione generally cared for her more than Ron. More than the Trio.

Cho just couldn't shake off the worry that Ron may have the resources and tools to turn Hermione's friendly feelings into romantic ones.

"Cho are you listening?" Hermione asked.

"Sorry my angel. What did you say?"

"I said, Mclaggen only needs to save one more to better Ron's score. He is on his last attempt. Do you want to see a little...prank...courtesy of Hermione Granger?" she asked mischievously.

Cho made a noise that meant 'sure, go ahead'.

Hermione sensed something was wrong but decided to leave it until after the prank. She looked back to the pitch where Mclaggen once again was eyeballing her. The play began and the volunteer chasers swooped towards the post, passing the quaffle between each other. They released a shot that hurtled straight for the left hoop. Mclaggen set himself up to catch it one handed. In the stands Hermione retrieved her wand, pointed it at Mclaggen and, almost as if sneezing, she muttered "Confundo".

The spell did its job and the now confused keeper sloppily let the quaffle slip straight through his arm and the quaffle zoomed behind him and through the hoop.

Hermione held a sheepish grin and sat back. "Gotcha you creep".

Ron's voice echoed through the stands as he whooped for joy, apparently he was declared the Gryffindor keeper by Harry unsurprisingly. Mclaggen sneered and stomped off the pitch, mumbling obscenities.

Ron looked up at the stand smiling at Hermione like a child. She returned the smile mimed 'well done'. Cho sat there watching them with only one thought one her mind.

'I can't beat the guy. But I can't let him win.'

...

Cho saw an opportunity to end this battle, but would Hermione ever forgive her if she found out about it?

Cho saw the potion rolling beside her foot as Harry dropped his fork and delved under the table reaching for it. The vial came hurtling out his pocket unnoticed by him and everyone else...except for Cho.

In a flash she plucked it off the floor and placed the clear fluid into her pocket.

Prior to this Harry had just pretended to give Ron a sample of his Felix Felicis potion and the red-head got fired up. The group was set to head down to the pitch when Harry's fork clattered onto the floor.

Cho had about ninety percent of a plan prior to the incident. A really desperate and dangerous one. She planned on getting Ron and Lavender together. Ron had been severely trying to woo Hermione ever since he made the Gryffindor team. So much that Cho barely saw Hermione and when she did she talked about how Ron had done this or said that. She had long since been convinced Ron was over her and was being a good friend to her. They even hugged each other more than Cho and Hermione had been hugging. Cho was on the verge of crying with the worries that Hermione was falling out of love with her and falling for Ron, like Cho thought might happen.

And Ron knew it too.

Every hug was possessive and mocking when he saw Cho witnessing it. The odd occasion where Hermione allowed him to sit next to her before Cho could, was done so deliberately and tauntingly.

Ron knew what he was doing and Cho hated to admit that he was succeeding.

Cho was desperate.

...

"You should never have given him that potion" Hermione said warmly.

"I know. I guess I could've just used the Confundus charm." Harry replied pointedly.

"That was different, that was tryouts not a real game."

Harry smiled reaching for his pocket to pull out the vial but finding it empty.

"What the?" Harry said confused. "Where's the vial?"

"What?" Hermione asked.

"The vial. Felix felicis. I didn't really put it in Ron's drink. Now I've lost it, or someone has taken it." Harry explained.

Hermione assured him that he probably left it somewhere and she would help him look after the party.

There was more commotion in the centre of the room and Hermione was surprised to see Ron and Lavender eating each others mouths.

"Well look at that. Wonwon and Lavender." Hermione chuckled.

"Huh?" Harry looked confused.

"I told you Ron was over me." Hermione told him.

"But...he loves you" Harry said.

Hermione was about to say 'obviously not' when something caught her eye in the crowd. She stared in the direction, hoping to see what it was. Then there was a brief gap in the crowd, thats all she needed.

Standing at the window was Cho who was handling two potions to pit in her pocket. One was the transparent liquid Felix felicis, the exact one Harry had and to add to Hermione's utter disbelief the second was a much more worrying potion. Amortentia. The love potion.

Hermione then turned to the two people kissing and that is where it clicked and Hermione balled up into tears. 'How could she do that?'

She looked back at Cho, praying that she made a mistake and the person wasn't who she thought it was but alas it was.

Cho had finished pocketing the potions and looked up at that second where their eyes met.

After the sudden realisation that Hermione knew what she did and seeing the tears starting to roll down her face, Cho's face drooped and before she could call out to her, Hermione turned and left.

Harry sensing her exit followed her and Cho stood there just staring at the door her possible ex-girlfriend walked out of until tears of her own fell down her face.

...

"Harry, how does it feel when you see Ginny with Dean?" Hermione asked through a sob. "I know. I see the way you look at her."

Harry just sat there and said nothing whilst birds flew about above them both.

At that second they were interrupted by the entrance of a lovey-dovey Ron jostling with an equally lovey-dovey Lavender. They stopped when they noticed the solemn situation in front of them.

"What's with the birds?" Ron asked.

Unable to deal with the antics of this immorally-created relationship, Hermione stood up and incanted "Oppugno".

The whimsical birds above her head steeled their flying and focused on the red-head. Then, like bullets, they flew at Ron who dodged them and escaped the room with Lavender.

Hermione sat back down to be comforted by Harry. "It feels like this" he said.

A small shuffle in the doorway got Hermione's attention and she looked up, seeing a miserable Cho scratching her arm unconsciously. She had tear tracks down her face. She didn't even speak until she had the scrutiny of Harry and the expressionless look of Hermione on her. "I...I came...to explain myself. Not that an exp...explanation is enough...or needed at the moment...but I want...I want you to...hear me out...before you decide...to hate me...and break up with me. I will just...say my piece...then...I will leave you alone forever."

"Your explanations mean nothing." Harry replied angrily. "Now leave. Before The-Boy-Who-Lived does something he may regret to The-Girl-That-Breaks-Hearts."

Cho swallowed and nodded. "Ok."

"No." Hermione said sharply. "Harry, do you mind giving me a few minutes alone with Cho?"

"You sure?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Wait for me in the common room."

Harry got up and walked past Cho glaring at her. Cho kept her head down not making eye-contact with either of them. When Harry left Hermione instantly asked. "Why?"

Cho looked at her. "I was scared. Worried. Desperate..."

"To what?" Hermione interrupted. "To end our relationship. If you wanted to do that you could have just asked."

"No. I never, ever wanted that. It was the opposite. I didn't want to lose you."

"I wasn't under the impression i was going anywhere to begin with. So all that is a load of crap." Hermione replied hotly.

Cho hung her head again.

"How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"The potions. Ron's drink you spiked with them. What gave you that idea? Why would you do this?"

Cho swallowed again. "I managed to take the vial at breakfast as we were leaving the table. I then asked Romilda about supplying me some Amortentia. Then at the party i sneaked them both into his drink and also convinced Lavender to kiss him after he drunk it."

Hermione let some more tears fall. "That is dispicable. I never thought in a million years that someone as nice and loyal as you could ever be capable of something like that. What else do I not know about you? If you could do that, what other horrible things could you be capable of?"

"Hermione..."

"Even Ron didn't deserve what you did to him? He has always been a good friend and to see you do that to him makes me sick. You abused everyone today. And for absolutely no reason at all."

"Please, Hermione..."

"It didn't even need to take a scheming plan and a betrayal if you wanted to break up with me. All you had to do is ask. I would have given it to you. This was not just unnecessary but completely shattering on my part. To know the person I love above all others, a person I would have said prior to this was the most trustworthy, kind and generous girl I have ever met. To know that she would do this, it's killing me."

"Please, My angel..."

"NO!" Hermione screeched. "YOU DO NOT GET TO CALL ME THAT! NOT NOW OR EVER AGAIN!CHO, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? AFTER EVERYTHING! I DID EVERYTHING TO MAKE YOU HAPPY! I CARED FOR YOU! I STOOD BY YOU! I SAVED YOU! I FUCKING LOVED YOU! I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME! AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE WORST PART IS? THE ABSOLUTE WORST PART IS EVEN NOW, AFTER ALL THIS, AFTER WHAT YOU JUST DID, I STILL FUCKING LOVE YOU!"

After that explosion Hermione crumpled to the floor in tears. Cho too was crying rivers.

Not even acknowledging what she was doing, Cho rushed over to Hermione and clutched onto her. The brunette surprisingly clutched Cho back and they clung to each other as they cried.

"I am...SO sorry" Cho sobbed. "I hate myself."

"Whyyyy?" Hermione cried. "Don't you love me Cho?"

"Of course I do. Oh Hermione, I love you so much it hurts."

"Then why did you do it?"

"I thought I was losing you. We barely see each other anymore. Ever since Ron got on the team you have been really close. I didn't want Ron to take you away from me."

"I was never Ron's and he is my friend. You were the person I wanted, you always were. I thought you knew that?"

"I did. But that was before the Ron problem. You might think he is over you Hermione but he isn't. He is the complete opposite. Every time he was with you he was rubbing the fact that you were with him in my face. I'm not blaming him for my mistakes. And you're right he didn'nt deserve what I did. But I was scared. Scared like i've never been before. It looked like you falling out of love with me and every night I pleaded to Merlin, to God, to anyone to stop it. I pleaded and begged that you would love me properly, like before but everyday it looked like it was getting worse. A month of that. In the end I had to do something. It was desperation."

"Why couldn't you tell me about any of this?"

"I was scared that you would think I was calling you untrustworthy by spending your time with Ron. And like I said we barely saw or spoke to each other. And when we did you talked about him."

Then Cho pulled away and looked Hermione in the eyes. She then leaned forward and kissed her lovingly. Hermione kissed back but before it could be deepened Cho pulled away.

"If this is the last time we will be a couple together then I need you to know that I love you and always will. Far more than I ever loved Cedric. Or anyone for that matter. I feel like I myself can't even comprehend how deeply I love you. Only that much love can ever make me go to extremes like what I did earlier, but it seems my love-desperate actions that I took just to keep you actually did the opposite. Even if you can't forgive me for what I did, it doesn't compare to how much I can't forgive myself. If this is the end of us then go love someone more deserving of it than me. But never forget that I love you and cannot love anyone else. I just thank Merlin that you walked into my compartment on the train fifteen months ago and walked into my life. This has been the most happiest time of my life and god bless your parents for making this girl the girI I love too much."

Hermione's eyes swelled with tears again, but this time the tears were filled with love. Hermione managed a watery smile. "You can never love me too much My darling".

"Your Darling?" Cho thought about that one and tested it. "I love that."

"Yes." Hermione said "My Darling."

"You forgive me then?" Cho asked.

Hermione turned serious again. "I can't forget it, not until you either reverse the potion you put on Ron or tell them the truth. And also you shattered my trust so I need to make some rules. Any concern or worry of yours, no matter how small it is, I must know about straight away. You apologize to everyone; Harry, Ron, Ginny, my parents, any person who cares about me. That is not really a rule, neither is it technically mine as I am merrily telling you what they want you to do but I will include it anyway. Finally, we do not be intimate in front of Ron. At all. That is important. Do i make myself clear?"

"Loud and clear." Cho said confidently.

"Good." Hermione said. "I promise too that I will spend more time with you. Now kiss me."

Cho smiled and quickly said "With pleasure" before she was tugged forwards and into a crushing kiss that sealed the making up of Hermione and Cho.

An; Good lord. Was I the only one person pulling at my eyelids to stop me from crying in that chapter? If I weren't then you my friend have my respect.

My Darling? I was gonna get you guys to come up with Hermione's pet name for Cho but we are near the end of this story now, what's the point. Also I have forgotten. I may have used Darling before as a suggestion but i cba to check so tell me if i did or not.

Sorry about that out of nowhere break up scene but I bet it took you all by surprise, i did say i was gonna use that scene differently, now you know how different. If you weren't expecting it and it really shocked you here is a number that you can call

Call 999, ask for ambulance and say adstyle17 gave me a heart attack. They will be there in a jiffy lol.

Anyway, this was the last part of that chapter series one more chapter plus an epilogue to go.

Tbc...Fighting beside Cho


	21. Chapter 21

An; The penultimate chapter. Time to tie up any loose ends on this baby. Well, you can't really call it a baby as this story is now in it's last days but like my mum never forgets to tell people, and embarrass me by doing it, 'he will always be my baby'. Urgggh, am I right? Well, I will personally miss this story it is my favourite and literately and soulfully the best story I have created. Well, it's the only one I have potentially finished and that is coz this story intrigued me from day one. I hope it has intrigued you guys as well.

Oh, and thanks for these reviews. They have rocketed recently and all were very pleasing to read. Thanks people.

Chapter 21: Fighting beside Cho.

"Cho honey, can I at least come in? We can talk about this." Hermione asked pleadingly.

"No! Just go! Leave me like everyone else does!" Came the muffled outburst from the girl currently behind the barricaded door. Hermione was sat leaning back against it trying to coax her girlfriend out. All this because Hermione told her the Golden Trio were on a mission...And it would last for as long as it takes to find each and every horcrux. This obviously didn't go down well with the Asian girl and therefore she stomped off and hid in their shared bedroom back home at the Granger's shortly after her girlfriend Hermione had sat down to tell her.

"Don't be like that My Darling. How can I le-go away for a while and leave us like this?" Hermione said.

"Simple! Walk downstairs, open the front door, walk out and leave forever just like everyone else who is important to me!"

"Cho! Who has left you lately, absolutely no one. Me going a way for a while is not leaving you. It's saving the Wizarding and Muggle world's combined, destroying Voldemort, defeating the Death Eaters and most importantly saving your life and creating a danger free future where me and you can finally marry and live our lives together." Hermione explained.

"What if you fail?" Cho asked. "The time spent away would be a waste and you would most likely never come home if you fail. You might not even come home if you succeed either. Then you WOULD be leaving me! And you would break your promise!"

"And why is telling me to go gonna stop me from going. Have you even thought that through?" Hermione asked.

"Yes! It's the only bloody way that I can think of that would make you stay! Or take me with you!"

"I thought you said you would let me go on my adventures with Harry and Ron?"

"Yeah, for single missions that last a day, or a week at most. Not months upon months, possibly even years."

"It's that or let Voldemort win."

"No! This is not the only chance we have. There are other things you could do?"

"Like what?"

"Hunt for horcruxes at Hogwarts. It has a very resourceful library, almost unbeatable safety and also has the luxurious perk of you seeing your girlfriend more than you would on this hunt."

"You know we won't be able to go anywhere we like from Hogwarts, we will have more of a chance of finding the horcruxes being on the move. Also Snape is headmaster this year, Hogwarts is not safe anymore for Harry, me and Ron. It's not even safe enough for the other students there."

"Then WHY can't you take me with you? You would rather see me miserable if you ever do come home rather than happy and safe?"

"That's the thing, you're not going to Hogwarts either. I need to ensure your safety and sending you to Hogwarts is not doing that. Voldemort will come after everyone close to me, Ron and Harry if he even suspects we're up to something, and a Death Eater at Hogwarts as headmaster is just like leaving a cat flap for Voldemort to come and go as he pleases. You certainly cannot go there. Besides you have graduated from Hogwarts so going back would be pointless and dangerous."

Hermione was expecting Cho to say something or ask her where she was going but she heard something far more heart-breaking. Cho was crying.

"Dammit Cho, let me in! Please baby, don't cry. Tell me what to say"

No response just more crying.

Hermione had had enough and she knew she had to get into that room somehow. She then had an idea. She went to the bathroom next to her bedroom and went to the window. She made the glass in the window vanish and climbed up on the sink. Performing a levitation charm on herself she then clambered out the window and replaced the glass in the window before floating a few metres to her left where she met her bedroom window. It was lucky that her garden had high trees blocking her house from the sight of neighbours who could've seen her attempting to rob a house and doing so whilst floating. Both of which would need some explaining. Looking through the window she saw Cho with her head in her arms and she took no time in opening the slightly open bedroom window wider and climbing through, not even trying to be quiet.

"H-Hermione, what are you doing?" Cho asked, eyes puffy but dry for the moment as Hermione brushed herself off and immediately made for the girl still by the door. When she reached her she pulled Cho up.

"I'm here to stop you crying. I can't bear you being sad, you know that." And then she did something that even she was surprised about. She wrapped her arm around Cho's shoulder, bent down and picked up Cho bridal style. The surprising show of strength was well appreciated by Cho who forgot that she was supposed to be ignoring her girlfriend. "Wow, you are full of surprises."

Hermione walked with Cho in her arms to her bed and dropped her on it. Then she proceeded to crawl onto the bed and stalk her lover's body, creeping up the length of her until she had pinned her to the bed and had her head hovering over Cho's face. Pure lust was in full flow but Cho had the wherofall to say "aren't we supposed to be discussing something?".

"Later" Hermione answered. She then dived her head forwards and crashed their lips together. Yes, they would have to talk...but not right now.

...

"Hermione, you do realise that this could be the last time that we are together like this? Are you sure you want to give this up for a possibility of death?" Cho asked worriedly as she laid in Hermione's arms , head on her bare chest listening to a heartbeat so rhythmic, so calming. A heartbeat she may never hear again.

"I'm not giving this up, I'm trying to preserve it. And for a possibility that we could all be safe and free from Voldemort and his minions." Hermione corrected.

"But you can't ride on just possibilities. This isn't chance, this is a choice between life and death. And you might not be the person to choose wherever you live or die." Cho warned.

"Cho, the way things are right now possibilities are our greatest ally. Possibilities are the best we have."

"You know what I'm saying though." Cho said raising her head to look into her girlfriend's face. "I want you to be one hundred percent sure this is going to work before you even think about stepping out that door."

Hermione kissed her sweetly. "It. Will. Work."

"You promise to come back?"

"I already promised that."

"There is absolutely no other way?"

"None. Leaving you behind is not an easy decision my love. It's bad enough that I have to send my parents away. But losing you is not an option. So ironic as it sounds, you can't be with me on this journey."

"Where are your parents gonna go?" Cho asked.

Hermione shrugged and told her "Wherever you decide to take them that you would be safe?"

"You are trusting me with your parent's lives?" Cho asked disbelievingly.

"Yes. I trust you with mine, I can trust you with theirs'. Also you will go somewhere and stay there. Don't leave until I come and get you. Don't worry about me finding you because I will find a way. I will also need your wand, so that if they even try to trace it they won't find you. Can't trace people if they can't do magic."

"Is there any way I can stop you from going?" Cho asked dejectedly.

"Probably. I would give in eventually. But if you had any faith in me you would let me go and I will show you how much promises mean to me. We will not fail Cho. I can't fail you. I love you."

"I love you too. But I can't protect you forever." Cho admitted, laying her head back down on Hermione's shoulder, wrapping her arm around Hermione's smooth midsection at the same time.

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows and after a few moments of silent contemplation, she asked. "What do you mean by 'I can't protect you forever'?"

"Exactly that. Without a wand I can't protect you when you are attacked or in danger, and I can't be with you so like I said, I have no choice but to let you go."

"Cho even with a wand, I don't think you would be able to protect me from halfway across the world."

Cho suddenly remembered, Hermione didn't even know. In the year since the battle at the ministry Cho never told her, mainly because...well, she just forgot about it and therefore forgot about telling Hermione.

"Hermione, do you remember the Department of Mysteries?"

Hermione gave her an incredulous look that said 'you know I do, I was there'.

"Don't look at me like that, do you remember what happened?"

"If you are trying to guilt trip me into not going because I almost got hit by a cutting hex that would've killed me if I hadn't got blown out the way, then it won't work missy. I wasn't even injured throughout the whole of that. I can defend myself Cho." Hermione accused.

"I wasn't trying to guilt trip you. Do you remember who saved you from that cutting hex?"

"Yes. No one. It was probably just an impedimenta that blew me out the way."

"It was no Impedimenta. Who was it that helped you up after you tripped?"

"Again, No one. How do you even know about that?"

"Who positioned your wand to focus on that Death Eaters hidden hand?"

"Cho! If there is any point to these questions can you get to the point please, and tell me how you know all that whilst you are at it? I never told you about that stuff."

Cho leaned over Hermione to whisper in her right ear, causing their bodies to meet each other and Hermione couldn't help but moan in arousal with Cho's new position. "It was me".

Hermione's eyes snapped back open. "What?"

Cho giggled and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I was there too Hermione."

"No you weren't. You were at Hogwarts."

"Well yes technically. But I was with you too"

Hermione just frowned, mouth forming the words 'what?'.

Cho moved off Hermione and reached for the bedside table where she put her locket before Hermione took it upon herself to seduce Cho into bed, relieving her of her previous bad mood.

Picking up the gold chain she turned back to Hermione. "You ready?" Before Hermione could answer Cho put it in her girlfriend's hands. "Open it."

Hermione clicked the locket open and she saw her own eyesight. "It's just the same locket as before Cho?"

"Notice anything different?"

Hermione double-checked it turning the locket around and looking at it from different angles. "Nope."

Cho sighed. Then she took it back. "'Do it yourself Cho' eh?"

Cho stared intensely at it before chanting "Hermione."

Thinking she was going to say something to her Hermione replied "Yes Cho?". She soon realised she wasn't talking to her though when the locket glowed a bluish white. Cho just stared at it and Hermione was transfixed on both Cho's face and the glow that had now turned into a bright light. Then bluish white orbs burst out the locket and floated towards Cho's face. They stopped about three centimetres away and in a short and snappy zoom they struck Cho in both eyeballs. Cho writhed a bit as Hermione went to dislodge the locket from Cho's hand.

" No! This is supposed to happen! It may kill me if you disrupt the connection! The pain only lasts a few seconds." Cho said this keeping both eyes open despite the twinging pain behind them. Hermione continued to look on worriedly.

Cho seemed to stop wincing and twitching. Then she finally snapped her eyes shut.

"Cho you OK?" Hermione asked.

She didn't respond. She reopened them slowly. Like they were operating mechanically. When they were fully open they held a soft glowy residue from the bluish white orbs and her pupil and iris were staring onwards, trancelike.

Hermione panicked. "Cho, say something. What have you done to yourself?"

Cho still didn't respond but Hermione was pulled forward across Cho by an unknown force. Hermione tried to pull back but the force kept her there. Against her own will Hermione's head was turned in the direction of the locket. The sight of the locket was different from before, it had a third dimensional look to the inside. Hermione took the hint from all the weird stuff going on and the unknown force. Something wanted her to look into the locket.

Hermione moved the locket closer without removing it from Cho's hand. Doing so could mean disaster, Hermione knew THAT at least. She looked in and saw something different this time. The rectangular room now had curved corners and everything was bent or misshapen when they were supposed to be straight. And the view was not of Hermione's vision. She could see herself on the bed next to a motionless Cho. The view then did something unexpected, it moved. Not just slightly but it did a steady three sixty as if demonstrating something to Hermione.

Hermione had a coy smile on her face. She turned to Cho's body and despite the girl not being able to respond, she told her. "You know I'm a sucker for intelligent pieces of magic. Now come back so I can ask you a million questions about this insanely clever idea of yours."

Cho's body then took a huge gasp regaining all the oxygen the body went without for that short amount of time. She then blinked quickly and the connection broke. Cho lay there breathing heavily and clearing her eyes.

"Cho that was incredible. Are you saying that is what happened at the Ministry?"

Cho nodded. Still recovering from her long stint without needing to breathe.

"What exactly is it that you did?"

"I just initially put a spherical view in instead of a fixed view so I could see everything around you without you having to turn your head. But then I realised I would be able to see things you couldn't so I thought if I could find a way to be with you without you noticing I could protect you from things you couldn't see." Cho explained.

"So you created a portal?" Hermione asked.

"No. Not a portal. I reused the spherical view and transposed it into a physical perimeter around you."

Hermione gasped in amazement. "You took apart a spell, then used its components to customise another one!"

Cho nodded meekly.

"Cho, I love the pants off you." Hermione squealed, bouncing on the bed.

Cho shook her head at her girlfriend's antics then continued."I then remembered an old enchantment that allows your soul to go beyond the restraints of your body and it goes where it wants for a small period of time. The problem was I couldn't think of a way to get my soul to be with you amongst the battle from the locket. So I Applied and modified the portus charm to take my soul directly to where you currently were, through the locket. It had to leave my body behind but also become a physical form with no visible appearance. That was made up of a combination of a disillusionment, materialisation and silencing charm, and a soul extraction enchantment. Then all I had to do was find a quick and effortless way to activate the locket so I just used a key word to activate it. I have to say 'Hermione' only when it's open." Cho explained every detail modestly and nonchalantly.

Hermione could think of nothing else that the girl deserved after explaining all that brute artistic ingenuity. She snogged her girlfriend until she was as breathless as she was a few minutes ago.

Hermione growled as Cho tried to pull away to get a bit of air in. Once she got some of it back, Hermione moved to the pulse point of Cho's neck and the girl gasped out the little air she regained.

"You...are so...brilliant. Sometimes... You're even smarter than me." Hermione complimented whilst kissing her from her collarbone to her shoulder and back up to her neck and earlobe.

"Honestly, I don't really look at how advanced it was. All I know was that it was necessary. I wasn't going to let you get killed. That's why this mission you are on is worrying me. A soul cannot leave a body for long periods of time; if it does the soul loses track of where it has been and in a few cases, gets lost. You've heard of a Dementor's Kiss, well it's just like that but without the Dementor. You will be gone for God knows how long. I can only guess the moments where you are in danger so this..." Cho said holding up the locket. "...is now nothing more than a customised locket."

Hermione frowned slightly and lightly smacked Cho's shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me about this before?"

Cho winced. Not in pain as the smack didn't even sting, but in uncertainty. "I guess I just forgot. Initially I thought you would be mad because I held something from you. And this sort of thing works better if you don't actually become conscious of it. But after a while even I forgot about this until today." Cho explained herself.

Hermione gave her a look and said "You can create an amazing feat of magic that I've never seen before but you don't have the intelligence to think that mentioning this could help everyone win this godforsaken war."

"Wait, that is a bit of an exaggeration." Cho replied.

Hermione sighed. "Maybe now, yes it is too little too late. But a month ago at least and maybe things could've been different. With Dumbledore's help we could've duplicated the locket. Imagine you and me with two lockets to protect each other. Harry and Ginny with another set to protect each other. Remus and Tonks. Arthur and Molly. Fred and George. Ron and...Luna. And Dumbledore could've survived. This would have been a great secret weapon."

Hermione in her excitement missed the rapidly saddening expression on Cho's face. It wasn't until Cho replied that Hermione noticed. "Yeah...you're right. I should've done that. Now look what's happened. I messed up bad."

Hermione felt guilty for seemingly chastising her girlfriend and making Cho become shameful of herself. "Baby, I'm sorry. I weren't trying to make you feel bad. I was just pointing out..."

"But you were right. I didn't use my common sense. I didn't see the bigger picture. Now I may have doomed us all by not telling you.I mean Harry will hopefully still defeat Voldemort anyway but we could and most likely will lose people along the way. And we have already lost Dumbledore. Now you are leaving for a mission that might not have been needed, if I had told you this earlier." Cho was really beating herself up and Hermione had twice in one day destroyed a previously good mood. And she had a feeling that no amount of seducing will brighten Cho up this time. It was down to Hermione's soothing words.

Hermione took her girlfriend's hand in her own. "Baby, you are starting to sound like Harry. You blame yourself for your faults so much that you forget to move on. Everyone makes mistakes and we will never have the chance to find out if this locket idea would've worked. Maybe that is a good thing."

"But I potentially could've killed you by not telling you this sooner. Like you said it's too little too late." Cho argued.

"Cho. All this means is that if I die it will be my fault for being careless. And you have no idea how motivating it is to hear that you created this masterpiece just to protect your girlfriend in her very first battle with possible death. It fuels my own desire to come back to you. And when this is all over we will look back and have no regrets. If I am going to die, it will be beside you with your hand in mine." Hermione promised, kissing the hand she mentioned in her mini-speech.

Cho looked at her and pulled her into a crushing hug. "You better survive this then. Whatever happens after that, live or die, we will do it together. Promise?"

"With all my heart Cho" Hermione said confidently. "With all my heart."

...

"What time are the others coming? The...order? Is that what they are called?" Daniel asked.

"Yes Dad. The Order of the Phoenix. About fifteen minutes." Hermione answered fondly at the fifth time that her father had to double check the Order's name.

"Are you sure you will be safe Hermione, Sweetie?" Emma asked. She had been worried and uncertain for three days now because of sheer worry. Hermione really felt sorry and guilty for what she putting everyone through but she just had to remind herself that what she was doing would save them all.

"No mum. I can't guarantee safety but I can guarantee the best protection I can think of to protect me, Harry and Ron. Besides we have a while until I start this horcrux hunt, but you two need to go to a safehouse of Cho's choosing."

"Don't take this the wrong way but why is Cho in charge of our safety? I mean she is barely out of school and she is assigned this, and you are still in school and going on a highly dangerous hunt for...horcrucks?" Daniel mentioned. "We are adults and can defend ourselves. Wizards or no wizards."

"Dad, these wizards I'm on about are like magical terrorists. Do you really think if you were trying to escape terrorists, without knowing anything about them, on your own, with no help or added protection, that you would be able to stop them?"

Daniel conceded that point. "But I still don't see the logic that an eighteen year old girl is qualified or ready to protect people with her life without experiencing the life herself."

Cho finally came out her polite silence whilst the family before her discussed by saying "Mr Granger, my life as you know has not been a walk in the park, this Death Eater threat just makes it much worse. I will also like to remind you that I have already experienced the role of protecting someone. Your daughter. And I did a really good job of it. I know how important you are to Hermione so I would protect your lives with the same dedication I had when I protected her. You can trust in Hermione that I am more than capable of protecting you."

Daniel was happy with that exclamation. "But after a short while he asked another question." Why don't the Wizarding world have like an official army?"

Hermione frowned and thought about this "I don't really know. I guess because if they did what would the soldiers really have that most wizards and witches didn't? I mean, apart from being much more advanced in combat an army wouldn't be much different than the order and the auror department at the Ministry."

"OK. But why can't you just get the...'Muggle' army to step in. I mean they could all be wiped out in seconds."

"Dad, I told you about the secrecy policy in the Wizarding world. The Muggle world cannot know that magical folk exist. It will be like if you saw an alien, you would be scared of what it could do. McGonagall told you in my first year to swear secrecy on my magical abilities. She did that because if the Muggle public heard about this it could end our world. Muggles outnumber and outmuscle magical folk by a thousand to one. And no spells, enchantments, artefacts or potions can protect us from Muggle weapons. That is why when a Muggle witnesses magic the Ministry obliviates them."

"But surely our government and leaders know about it?"

"Yes Mr Granger. The Prime Minister and the Houses of Parliament knows about the magical world. They too have sworn to secrecy with our world but also helps clear the dust and blame other things for what magical events happen. You know that bridge that was destroyed in London, a magical attack on the Muggle world. The Prime Minister blamed terrorists and said the black smoke they saw were customised bombs and rockets that were used to blow up the bridge. They work with the Ministry to keep our world hidden." Cho explained.

"Seems sensible I guess." Daniel conceded. The family once again became silent when Emma asked Cho. "So where are you taking us?"

"I told you to pack warm clothing and bring flasks and containers to eat and drink from, as well as tinned food that is either eaten from cold or easily and quickly heatable. That should give you a clue to where we are going. The conditions there will help disguise our position. You will find out soon enough." Cho vaguely answered.

Then came the ring of the doorbell and a few gasps on the other side when they heard what the button did. Emma hastily went to open the door and welcome them in but her hands were still clearly indicating she was full to the brim in worry. At the door was Alastor Moody, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Fred and George Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Fleur Delacour, Bill Weasley, Arthur Weasley and of course Ronald Weasley. Emma invited them all in, her worry left aside when she was distracted by the magical eye of Moody, the colour of Tonk's hair and Tonk's clumsiness as she tripped on the doormat. Daniel was much more composed than his wife, up until he saw Fleur and had his head tilted to one side in transfixion. Fleur saw this and muttered something like "Mon Dieu" as she tried to hide the annoyance that comes with her thrall and the implications it has on unknowing men. Bill saw it too and took her hand possessively. Once they were all settled they told Hermione the plan to create seven Harry Potters so that if they do get attacked in Little Whinging then the Death Eaters would find a hard job locating the right Harry. Then when Hermione understood the plan and confirmed she was ready they left again so Hermione could say her goodbyes. Before Ron could escape though, Cho called to him. He turned around surprised that Cho would want to speak to him and said "Yeah?"

"May I have a quick word with you in the kitchen?" Cho asked, but Ron knew that he had to answer in affirmative.

"Sure."

Cho turned to Hermione "I will be back in two minutes, My Angel."

"Sure." Hermione said with a smile. It seemed she had guessed why Cho needed to talk to Ron and was very happy about it.

Both teens went into the kitchen and stood opposite each other in a short silence. There was a lot of tension in the room. After Cho told Ron about the love potion she put in his drink at the party when he and Lavender got together Ron was not too happy with her about it and kept trying to convince Hermione she was not right for her. Hermione had gained enough trust back for Cho that she was able to defend and defy Ron's demands. But the rivalry between Cho and Ron turned nasty. On the seven occasions they dueled Cho won five out of seven, and the two she lost was because Ron blindsided her. Ron had been the Hospital wing three times for broken bones, twice for a profusely bleeding nose, six times for nasty bruises and a concussion. Cho had split lips, bruises, black eyes and burn marks that got treated by her girlfriend later on when they were alone. Hermione was torn at first between who she should stick up for but because Ron had started all the duels and couldn't finish them without being a sneak she decided her girlfriend would get her allegiance. If it weren't for Harry either they would've dueled every time they met but The-Boy-Who-Lived was assigned as a constant enforcer to try and stop Ron being reckless, but even he couldn't stop them all.

Then came the night of the poisoning and the night of the truce between Ron and Cho. Hermione and Cho visited him in the Hospital wing. Cho then left saying she had someone to take to. She met up with Lavender, who still didn't know about the love potion for some reason, and tried to tell her what she did. Lavender didn't believe her, especially when Cho said Ron liked Hermione. She stormed off looking for Won-Won and Cho just shrugged and said to herself "Well, I tried to do something right."

As luck would have it Lavender found the Hospital wing and when she saw Hermione they had a back and forth tiff observed by the Headmaster and company themselves. Then Ron woke up mumbling Hermione's name and Lavender left in tears. Hermione told Ron that she was sorry she couldn't like him back and that there is a very lovely Ravenclaw blonde that might have afflictions for him. Ron perked up at that and promised he would apologise to Cho and he did so that very night. But the tension was still there and probably would be for a long time.

"First off" Cho asked "How are you and Luna doing? Did you ask her out?"

Ron replied awkwardly "No. I admitted I like her, and she admitted the same. For me that is although she likes herself too obviously, just like I like me too. We like each other in a different way to how we like ourselves. Anyway, We agreed though that we wouldn't be official until this is over. We kissed though because we thought we may not get much chance to do that with me on this hunt thing."

"That's fantastic and very thoughtful of you both." Cho complimented. "Now to the point. You know that I love Hermione right? And always will?"

Ron replied noncommittally" I guess".

Cho would've questioned his answer further if she had the time but she continued on. "Then I need you to swear to protect Hermione with your life. I would ask Harry too but I'm not going to see him for a long while so it's just you. If you cared at all for Hermione you would do this anyway but just in case you don't understand the seriousness of this situation I am reminding you."

"OK. I will."

"You understand what I'm saying? Because if you leave her behind, if she gets hurt. If Hermione dies on this hunt, whether it was your fault or not, then I will be seeing you very quickly after that, and trust me you won't be excited to see me. Is that clear?"

Ron glared back, wondering how she could question his word on the subject of defending his best female friend. "Perfectly clear."

Cho nodded. "Good. You can go now, thanks for your time."

Ron left without saying anything but he gave her a tense nod as he walked out the door.

Cho followed him shortly after and came back into the living room. "Hey I'm back, glad I cleared that up."

"Hey Darling, I'm about to leave now so..." Hermione started telling Cho but she stopped and looked at her parents still in the room and they saw the message loud and clear. Emma gave Daniel a whack on the arm on the way out which could only mean that Fleur and Bill weren't the only ones who noticed Daniel's ogling.

"...so..." Hermione continued after they left "kiss me now before I change my mind and decide to stay." Cho met Hermione halfway despite the fact Hermione set off like a one hundred metre sprinter, and kissed her girlfriend with everything she had. This kiss wasn't passionate, that could wait until they were reunited again. This kiss was threading every strand of love out of their hearts and offering every inch of it to each other until they saw each other again and beyond. They broke the kiss reluctantly. And stared into each other's eyes.

"Look after them. And yourself. Especially yourself." Hermione told her.

"I will if you will. I will be checking in on you everyday." Cho said, indicating with her locket.

"How ironic?" Hermione smiled in thought. "There are two lockets in my life at the moment. One filled with hate and cruelty that I have to take with me and one filled with love and hope that I have to leave behind."

"You're wrong. It's with me. Really it isn't going anywhere because I'm with you always and in more ways than one." Cho replied.

Hermione smiled even more at that. Then she gave her one last kiss and said "I love you."

"I love you too. Are you are you don't want to know where I'm taking them?".

"Positive. I don't need it because I will find you anyway."

"OK. I will be seeing you then."

"Bye Cho". Hermione gave her another brief kiss.

Hermione pulled out of her arms and shrunk her stuff, putting it in her enchanted bag and walked out. She looked back and gave a small wave and a smile before she left.

"Goodbye My Angel" Cho said with tears in her eyes, hoping that wasn't the last time she would say that.

...

(An: this next part will be a set of journals from both Hermione and Cho all the way up to Malfoy Manor so if you want to just view the story and not faff about, scroll down. If you want to understand the emotional and physical battles the couple have in this time then I suggest reading the journal entries. Hermione is in bold writing and Cho is in Italics.)

_12:42 Wednesday 14th July 1997 Kodiak Island, Alaska_

_We arrived at my safehouse. A place my former guardians used to own before they were imprisoned. The government haven't found a buyer for it because it is practically unreachable, therefore practically unsellable, so the place is empty for an extremely long time. It is lucky I remembered the address. I had to create a portkey to get here. Mr Granger and Emma didn't particularly like it as expected but they liked it even less when they realised how cold it is. I convinced them that this was a great location though to keep our heads down, to live in with moderate comfort and have quite a pleasant scenery in which we can forget about what is happening elsewhere in the world. They were impressed. This place is hard to heat up though as we had no power and trying to get wood is a chore in itself. If my maths is right Hermione should be at the Weasley by now, hopefully. It's a bit awkward here as it's hard to skip over what is happening and where we are and who with but hopefully the atmosphere will become less...frosty lol. I'm going to check my locket soon to see if she made it to The Burrow safely. Now all we need to do is sleep and wait for Merlin's knows how long. I wish I could put up protection wards but Hermione took my wand. They shouldn't find us anyway. Without magic this will be challenging for me but I can take this as my life lesson at being a Muggle. Overall though we are safe and hopefully Hermione is too._

_..._

**14:18 Thursday 15th July 1997. The Burrow**

**I made it to the Weasley's home in one piece, no thanks to that slimeball Fletcher. He nearly killed us all the traitorous coward. The plan to create seven Harry's to fly over Little Whinging was tested as we were attacked pretty much straight away. Luckily it took them a while to find the real Harry although I didn't know much about that at the time, I was too busy fighting Death Eater after Death Eater on the back of a Thestral. Apparently they found the real Harry towards the end but they made it safely to The Burrow before Voldemort could get him. He was one of the lucky ones, George lost an ear from Snape's Sectumsempra curse. That is one horrid curse, it should be an unmentionable. It probably would've been if the Ministry found out about it before they got corrupt and someone had found Snape's potion book sooner. So George permanently lost an ear but that, as horrible as it sounds, wasn't the overbearing and saddening news of the day. No the most horrible news was of the best auror the world has seen for a long time and the toughest man I know, is dead. Damn you Mundungus for killing a man so skilled like that. Sure, Mad-eye wasn't a very charming man but no one expects him to be after all those battles and wars he has been involved and injured in. He was a hero of the light and to lose practically the second in command after Dumbledore, in a short amount of time after the founder's death, was a really tough blow to take at this time. What's most demeaning for Mad-Eye's memory is that we can't even find his body and so we can't say goodbye properly and give him a deserved burial. All the doom and gloom aside though I'm glad I made it safely. Now we can just focus on Bill and Fleur's wedding and see something happy for a change. I'm glad Cho made it to where she is safely too of course. She visited me yesterday through the locket and I told her what happened and who had died. I know she couldn't reply and I couldn't see her but just being there for me to talk to and knowing she is there for me makes me feel one hundred times better. I don't know exactly when the hunt starts but it will be after the wedding. Molly asked where Cho was and I told her that because I'm close to Harry You-Know-Who could come after my parents so Cho has to keep them safe and won't be attending the wedding. She wasn't too bothered by this understandably because she barely knew the girl. I also told her half the truth without letting the hunt slip out. I can't wait for this wedding, I know I will be thinking about Cho the whole time and hoping we will have a wedding just like it.**

**...**

_13:07 Saturday 24th July 1997. Kodiak island, Alaska_

_Life in Alaska is peaceful...but so boring. I've never been so bored in my life and I have practically been held captive. Don't get me wrong, Hermione's parents aren't boring people. The few moments of conversation I get with them are extremely welcome. But those conversations are rare because the two Grangers have spoken to me less and less since we got here. I think it's because they are homesick and don't stop worrying about their daughter. I would tell them that talking to me can help as I have the same problem and can relate, but their views are private and I should just be polite and wait until they are ready to speak to me. My patience with this horcrux hunt has been pushed already. A week ago I found out that as soon as Hermione left Privet Drive the Death Eaters attacked. Seriously, straight away. And now Mad-eye Moody is dead and George Weasley got badly injured, that could've been Hermione. I literally said goodbye to her half an hour earlier and I could've lost her that soon. I can't even blame it on Ron if she did get hurt or killed because part of the plan meant he was on a broom so he had to stick to the plan. I'm just glad that she was unharmed but if this is how it's gonna be then my confidence will be rock bottom of ever seeing her again. At least she can enjoy Fleur's wedding. I wish I could go, we all could do with the share of the happiness. Hermione officially starts her hunt after the wedding. For now tho I'm safe, her parents are safe but most importantly Hermione is safe._

_..._

**9:22 Monday 26th July 1997. Grimmauld Place**

**Well we are officially on the hunt for Voldemort's horcruxes. It was going to be after the wedding yes, but I didn't think it would be right after the wedding during the reception. But that is the luck of the Golden Trio isn't it. Rufus Scrimgeour was killed and the Ministry has been taken over by Voldemort and his cronies. Yaxley is now the Minister. Days after we were visited by Rufus giving us some things left in Dumbledore's will, reluctant to give us everything mentioned. He confiscated the Sword of Gryffindor that was given to Harry. How is a book of tales, a deluminator and a golden snitch gonna help us find Voldemort's horcruxes? I could see the sense of Dumbledore disguising the objects to fool the Ministry but they aren't disguised so i don't understand how Dumbledore thought this would explain things. Anyway the wedding was beautiful, really. It made me happy and sad at the same time. Happy to witness it but sad to witness it without my fiancee there with me. It was short lived and Kingsley's patronus barely finished it's warning when we were attacked. Even when we apparated away and found a quiet, little cafe to talk about where we will go we were attacked again. But we got away again. The danger isn't over yet, we are planning to infiltrate a Death Eater filled Ministry to find our beloved Dolores Umbridge and take the locket. We must be crazy. Cho will definitely think so. I really miss her. We need to find these Horcruxes and fast.**

**...**

_17:47 Monday 19th September 1997. Kodiak island, Alaska._

_Two months and Hermione is still alive. My confidence is still in the lower percentage but it is comforting to know that she hasn't been in danger in a long while, although she did have a lot to begin with. The escape from Death Eaters at the Burrow and in London, not to mention the incredibly courageous but foolish mission to infiltrate the Ministry. Now they are in the middle of nowhere and changing locations daily. But they are staying safe. Staying happy though is proving difficult. They snap at each other, Ron most of all, and morale is low. They have made no ground in their hunt, something was bound to give in the end. Above everything though today is supposed to be special but in truth it can't be. Today is Hermione Granger's eighteenth birthday. She isn't celebrating it, barely acknowledging it. It is wrong, it shouldn't be that way. I want nothing more than to sweep her into my arms and spoil her rotten. But I can't do that can I? So wrong. Life has got harder for us too. Emma is struggling with health issues, Mr Granger is ill-tempered at every little thing and I got bitten by a brown bear a few weeks ago and it still hasn't healed fully. I'm surprised it didn't take my leg off. Emma did her work on it to stop infection but she couldn't do much else. It is healing now, it doesn't hurt anymore but it is still scabbed and most likely scarred. How I escaped death I don't know, the bear was three times the size of me. Luckily it only sliced my skin with it's teeth instead of biting down on my leg or I may have lost it. But I would prefer bears over Death Eaters any day. Happy birthday my Angel._

_..._

**10:50 Monday 19th September 1997. Epping Forest**

**Happy birthday to me. Although I don't see the happy side to this birthday. No one here does. Both Harry and Ron just mumbled happy birthday at me and i mumbled back my thanks. I don't think I have ever said this before but these boys are slowly starting to really pee me off. Constant arguments, half-arsed ideas, laziness, unmotivated. I'm sick to death of it. I know what it is too, a combination of the Voldemort inside the locket and homesickness. We are turning against each other, and all this could've been solved if bloody Dumbledore had prepared and told Harry more about what he have to do and find. I mean he showed Harry all these memories from Slughorn knowing they were horcruxes and he had to get Harry to find out about it for himself. Why did he not just tell Harry instead of guiding him painstakingly slowly to what Dumbledore already knew? Yeah, Dumbledore didn't know he was gonna die but still some actual information would've been nice. He expected Harry to find Horcruxes that he had no idea about what they looked like or where to find them or even how to destroy them once we have them. He gave us nothing but three items that caused more arguments than it helped and one item we couldn't even legally have. We are totally unprepared for anything and we wonder why we have nothing to show for it. The only person who soothes my own temper is Cho. Her visits are the most anticipated part of my day. Without it I wouldn't have survived this long. And I MISS HER SO MUCH. Will i ever see her again alive? Cho, I love you baby. **

**...**

_16:32 Sunday 14th November 1997. __Kodiak island, Alaska_

_THAT LOUSY, SELFISH, IGNORANT BASTARD. He looked me right in the eye and told me he wouldn't abandon her. What does he do, walks out on them in a desperate time. Hermione is torn to bits over it and what I wouldn't give to throttle his pathetic, freckly face. He is so glad Hermione is a saint and practically begged me not to go after his backstabbing arse. She knows me too well. She would know that I found out Ron left them and because she also knew about what we spoke about in the kitchen she begged me to not leave her parents alone to go after him. She said he didn't realise what he was doing. She said the locket was manipulating and enhancing his emotions and that he will come round eventually. She said I promised to stay with her parents and keep them safe and that is what I should do. And I will,for her. But I will punch him in the nose when I see him. I can guarantee that. Hermione's parents both hit the roof when they found out too, which was surprising of Emma as she was never a person to go off on a furious rampage. That night we had fun building a life-sized model of Ronald Weasley out of sticks and twigs. We beat him with sticks and rocks, stabbed him through with knives and forks and burnt him over the fire. This was satisfying enough to be the most comfortable and social night so far on our hideaway. But it really boils my blood to know that my Hermione is upset when we are happier than we have been in a while. You're lucky if I ever forgive you for this Ron Weasley._

_..._

**22:15 Tuesday 20th February**

**So Ronald Bilius Weasley shows his face once again after months of absence and expects me to be happy to see him. Wrong. I too thought I was just upset about him leaving, not angry. But it wasn't til I saw his cocky grinning face that I realised I was very angry at him indeed. He saves Harry and that may be enough for him but it isn't for me. He very nearly destroyed seven years of devoted friendship by walking out on us. Almost doomed the world because the team working together to destroy Voldemort almost fell apart at the seams because he got a little frustrated and angry. If he expects me to welcome him back like a hero then he has another thing coming. I can see why Cho has such thin patience with this boys loyalties. He has a lot of making up to do before i even want to speak to him civilly. Despite this we have had some progress. We know that no horcruxes are at Godric's Hollow after visiting it at Christmas. We have one Horcrux destroyed and a weapon to destroy them with. Just three more and Voldemort then I see my girl again.**

(End of journal entries)

Cho moved so fast after she portkeyed to Shell Cottage that she ended up sprawled on the sand but she got back up straight away sprinting across the beach. She reached the back door of the cottage just in time to see Bill sticking his head out seeing who disrupted the wards. Before he could even manage a hello Cho rushed past him and into the cottage. "HERMIONE!"

Meanwhile in the bedroom Hermione was sleeping and was being attended by Fleur dabbing her head with a wet cloth. Harry and Ron sat helpless by her bedside.

"HERMIONE!" they heard from somewhere in the cottage. All three conscious people looked at each other wondering who it was.

"Where is she, please?"

"In here" came Bill's voice.

The door opened and entering was indeed Bill Weasley but more signigicantly and surprisingly, was followed by Cho Chang. As soon as she saw the unconscious form in the bed she froze. Harry looked at Ron indicating to let Cho see her alone and he nodded. Both boys left the room followed by Bill. Fleur stayed.

"No. She...she isn't...is she?" Cho splattered.

Fleur sensed that Cho was looking at the unconscious form and thinking the worst. "Now, mon amie, do you really theenk I would be dabbing a wet cloth on a dead bodee? Or zat I will ever 'ave a dead bodee ins a bed of mine? 'Ermione eez alive, just a leetle bit...achy and tired. Zee most damage 'as 'appened to 'er mind, oui? She will need your 'elp to get over 'er trauma."

Cho nodded and walked around the bed to her girlfriend's side. She took her hand in her own and kissed it.

Fleur was finished with her aide for now but before she left she told the girl "She mumbles your name in 'er sleep you know. And you were zee ferst person she asked for when she woke for zee ferst time. Zat girl loves you very much, and I can zee zat you love 'er just as much. In zee future, don't stay apart from each ozzer for zat long. As you can zee eet doesn't end well."

"You're right. Thanks Fleur."

The french woman finally left leaving Cho alone with her girlfriend, who she hadn't seen in almost ten months. Cho looked at the tortured girl. Her eyes sunken and flittering behind her eyelids, as if she was re-experiencing what she went through. 'She probably is" Cho thought sadly. Her girl was battered and a nervous wreck but was still as beautiful as ever. The light through the window lit up the whole room, but mostly on the bed. Cho could have sworn Hermione looked like the girl Hermione had told her about one night. A Muggle children's book about a Princess put under a sleeping spell by an evil witch. Sleeping Beauty. Also known as Hermione Jean Granger. But this wasn't a fairytale. Hermione went through a terrible ordeal and the woman responsible was still at large working beside an even worse evil. Cho thanked the heavens Hermione was still with her. Bellatrix was gonna pay for this.

Then Cho saw Hermione's bloody wrist and her heart cried, let alone her eyes. The absolute disgusting reminder of the worst insult for someone so undeserving of it. Why does blood matter, all of us are magical here? And Muggles aren't lepers. They are despised by the pure-bloods so much but why? Is it a crime against nature to be without magic? If that is their reasoning then they are wrong. If anything wizards and witches are unnatural, not Muggles. And don't they realise the ironic amount of power these 'peasants' have. They built our cities and our towns. They gave us a country to live in. They invented objects and devices that out-match any spell or charm that would do the same thing. Without magic. And medicine is technically potion making right. Maths and English is something that even Wizarding people have to learn. Astronomy is studied in the Muggle world too. So why are we superior to them? To go to these lengths to eradicate a large group of people you solely hold in contempt without that reason being justified, it is shameful to witness.

And to Cho's Hermione. Why her? She is a friend of Harry. Someone who wouldn't even have been a threat to Voldemort if the psychopath hadn't wanted to raise havoc on the world twice and tried to kill the boy when he was a baby, and failed. She is of Muggle tainted blood. Did she choose to become a witch despite being conceived by Muggles. If she had the choice she would've probably chosen to be a normal girl without magic. You're blaming a child for not being born from purebloods, how pathetic can you get. Cho never could understand the reasoning behind what Voldemort and his Death Eaters wanted. Maybe they didn't care for logical reason and preferred stubborn naivety. As long as they could destroy lives and terrorise millions. And torture an innocent girl who was only fighting for a better life and to mark her so cruelly and degradingly for something she was proud of. It spelt everything that was wrong with the Wizarding World.

Cho brought her lover's wrist to her face and kissed the wound. "Don't worry My Angel, we will get them for this. We will get her for this. We won't let them win."

Cho didn't even remember falling asleep but she was woken by Fleur checking in on Hermione.

"Excuse moi. Forgive me for waking you up. I was just checking 'ermione's condition."

"It's fine Fleur. Thank you for what you are doing. I know Hermione's parents will appreciate it. Hermione too when she wakes. But most of all, I am truly grateful for you and Bill keeping her safe and caring for her." Cho told her thankfully.

"Merci beaucoup Cho. But really zere eez nuzzing to zank me for, I'm just doing what eez right. Like you, 'arry, Ron and 'ermione."

"Still, thanks"

Fleur gently turned Hermione's face her way, opened her mouth slightly and slipped a spoon full of Dreamless Sleep potion into her mouth, letting the bluey-purple liquid slide off the spoon and slip into her mouth. In her sleep Hermione sensed the liquid in her mouth and swallowed it down. "Zere, she will sleep more peacefully now."

Cho stroked a stray hair out of Hermione's face and just smiled at Fleur in response. Fleur wanted to lift the mood a bit and she saw no harm in telling Cho a little secret about herself. "You know, us zree 'ave somezing in common zat you would be surprised to 'ear."

"What's that?"

"We are not all completely...straight. Us zree share zee same eye for women. I just like men too" Fleur admitted.

Cho took some time away from staring lovingly at Hermione to staring astonishingly at Fleur. "You're kidding?"

"Non. It eez zee truth. As a Veela I don't 'ave a...'ow do you say? Barrier, between attraction for women and attraction for men. Love eez love for Veela. And I 'ope you don't mind me mentioning zis next part, I 'ad a zing for your girlfriend during my time at 'Ogwarts."

Cho recoiled at this. "You had a crush on Hermione during the Tri-wizard Tournament?"

"Oui. Don't worry, I'm over eet now and love my William very much. 'E knows I'm... Bi-zexual too." Fleur told her instantly washing Cho's insecurities and possessiveness away.

"Why didn't you tell her?"

"Seriously? She 'ad no idea she was into girls. She would 'ave turned me down straight away. I knew back zen zat she was lesbienne. My Veela knew eet. But eet also knew she was unaware of 'er sexuality. I 'ave to admit eet was 'ard to 'old back at zee Yule Ball but I just 'eld down my flushes all night."

"Well thanks for sharing Fleur, that was just thrilling to hear." Cho said sarcastically but she had a genuine smile on her face.

"Well, at leazt you both 'ave someone else to speak to now about zis eef you need eet. Just don't tell 'ermione about my leetle schoolgirl crush." Fleur told her with a wink.

"Oh believe me, I won't tell her." Cho said lightheartedly "Don't want to give her any ideas."

"Haha, zere eez no danger about zat. She eez all yours. You just remember zat."

Cho nodded and said "I will".

Fleur and Cho spoke more casually after that. About the wedding Cho missed, the lovely scenery of Alaska where Cho stayed with Hermione's parents, and what girls they thought were straight, bi or lesbian at Hogwarts and Beauxbatons. Cho got to Pansy Parkinson and was telling Fleur about the fact that Pansy was rough with the girls she teased but she rarely hit them, and she only gave her bullying time to girls that had some sort of impressive asset on her body, when Cho yawned mid-sentence and Fleur swooped in.

"Right. You need sleep. You don't 'ave a bedroom I'm afraid but zere eez a settee in zee living room zat eez eazily turned into a bed with a few spells. Go now, get some sleep. She eezn't going anywhere so you might want to get some needed sleep."

"Can't I just stay here and sleep?"

"Non. You will get a sore neck. 'Ermione could also lash out in zee night and 'urt you. Eet eez better eef you sleep in zee living room. Now go, shoo."

Cho waddled away into the next room. She sleepily made her way into the living room, clearing space on the settee. Then a clinking sound came from the kitchen and she looked through the doorway. There stood Ron Weasley with a glass in his hand leaning against the counter. He was probably wanting a glass of water but was in too much deep thought that he never filled it up. Cho was surprised to find she didn't want to punch his nose in anymore. Yes, he did leave Hermione and Harry in a vulnerable state and he didn't succeed in keeping her safe. But Cho just saw that he didn't need to be told that. He knew that loud and clear and he was taking it all rather hard. Probably more than anyone else other than Cho.

Ron looked to the side a little and saw Cho in the doorway. He turned back to the sink as if he didn't see her and said "Well, go on then. Castrate me. Smash my face into a pulp. I welcome it." He said emotionlessly.

"No. I don't think I will." Cho told him.

"Why not? I broke my promise didn't I? I didn't keep her safe. And you probably only needed the smallest thing to hate my guts so get it over with." The lack of emotion in his voice made him sound like he was being mind-controlled but by his body language it was obvious he wasn't.

"No. I'm angry a little yes. I was ready to rip your guts out when I heard about your abandoning stunt. And I was ready to force feed your guts to you when I heard about Hermione being tortured. But right now, I know I can't do that and I don't want to."

Ron didn't react and stayed silent. Cho started to explain her reasons anyway.

"I know I can't because for one what good will it do. Hermione will still be traumatised. Vol-You-Know-Who would still be at large. All that will happen is you will be out of action and that is one less ally, and an important one. But really I can't bring myself to do that because it would be hypocritical of me. You have broken your promise to keep Hermione safe, Hermione broke her promise to stay safe and even me being here means I've broke my promise to Hermione about staying with her parents and keeping THEM safe. Really we were all foolish to promise anything. As if our promises mean anything to the Death Eaters. How can you keep yourself out of danger and keep Hermione out of danger at the same time twenty-four seven? How can she promise to stay safe when she is courageously heading into dangerous activity practically every month? How can anyone expect me to not seek my girlfriend's welfare even though it might be the last time I would see her? Fleur hit the nail on the head, distance doesn't ensure safety, togetherness doesn't either but you are stronger together than apart."

"But I left them"

"As I recall you were wearing the locket at the time.

"Yeah. But those feelings I felt were genuinely mine. I did leave them for those reasons. They weren't put in my head by the locket."

"No, but the locket manipulated them. Are really trying to tell me that Ronald Weasley walks out on his friends to leave them in danger? Ronald Weasley is lazy, greedy, ignorant and slow. But never is Ron Weasley a traitor. The locket knew you were vulnerable to highly emotional outbursts. Every reaction Ron Weasley has is so emotive that it almost becomes an over-reaction. The locket took your weakness and capitalised on it. Why do you think when you took the locket off that you instantly wanted to go back and find them both? Because you knew what the locket did and you knew it wasn't what Ron Weasley wanted."

Ron put his glass down and turned to Cho for the first time. He had the wet eyes that indicated someone losing the battle to stop himself crying. "Do you wanna know...what the locket showed me...when me and Harry destroyed it?"

Ron answered before Cho could. "It showed me you and Hermione. It showed Hermione saying she loved you with all her heart...wanna guess what Ghost Cho did? She looked at her like vermin. She looked at Hermione and looked repulsed. She then beat her to the ground and called her a freak, mudblood, every disgusting name she could think of. But what made me stab the locket was the look of love in Hermione's eyes whilst you hit her. Even when you were cruelly mistreating her she loved you. To see even a false vision of you doing that to Hermione filled me with more rage than You-Know-Who ever had. I know it wasn't true but it affects me still to this day. I know Hermione wishes to marry you one day; but I will do everything in my power to make sure that vision never even has a hint of truth in it. And that means that If I ever find you ever mistreated her, I will make sure that you NEVER see her again."

Cho looked at Ron with genuine respect and said "I will expect nothing less."

Ron looked away again, wiped his eyes with his sleeve and sniffed. "Yeah, well, what are you doing here then? Why are you not with Hermione?"

"Fleur sent me away to sleep. Do you mind doing the honour of rearranging the settee for me? Hermione still has my wand." Cho asked.

"Yeah sure". Ron walked into the living room, whisked the cushions off and enlarged the settee.

"Thanks. And Ron?" Cho asked before he could walk off. "Don't blame yourself and thank you for looking out for her"

Ron looked like he wanted to argue with that but knew he would be wasting his breath. "Right then. Night."

"Goodnight".

"Filthy...Dirty...Hideous...Mudblood...Muddy...Filth...CRUCIO" that was every word that Hermione could hear. Each word penetrated like bullets and each curse shaking the young girls mind and body into a weak shell. She could see glimpses of unkempt black hair and the sliver of silver as a blade cut into her forearm. "No...please...just stop...no more...I know nothing". Just more murmurs of 'Mudblood' and 'Filth' came after accompanied by an evil an haunting cackle. "No, please...no more STOP!"

"HERMIONE!"

Hermione shot up in her bed and instantly retreated into a vulnerable ball of nerves. She cradled her legs close to her body and every thing she saw seemed to fill her with fear.

"Hermione? Hermione baby I'm here, it's OK."

Hermione snapped round to look at Cho. Seeing black hair and Hermione yelped in fright.

"Hey, it's OK, it's just me. It's Cho. Remember. Your girlfriend?"

Hermione still looked frightened but as she grew more aware of her companion she tested out the name. "Ch...Cho...Ch-ch-Cho... My girlfriend..."

"Yes. Your girlfriend who loves you."

"Cho...Cho is with my parents. Cho said she would look after them. You can't be Cho. FLEUR! FLEUR, HELP!" Hermione yelled.

"NO. Hermione, I am Cho. I AM Cho. You hate the colour yellow. You have a sweet tooth despite being the daughter of dentists. You can count to one hundred in Latin. You once told me your accidental piece of magic when you were seven years old was set alight a pencil because you were writing too intensely."

"If you were Cho you wouldn't be here. Where is she? What have you done to her?" Hermione demanded.

Cho blew a lock of hair out of her face and said "Damn it. Am I really going to do this?". Cho then slowly stood up. "Right here it goes." Cho limbered her body up then grabbed the half filled glass of water by the bed. Cho held it in one hand and slowly started balancing on one leg. She held the glass far in front of her and leaned forward. Her other hand pulled her leg behind her and over the top of her head. Cho resembled a scorpion when she finally took a swig of the water and returned to her normal standing position. "There. Am I Cho now?"

Hermione just nodded in recognition of Cho's little trick.

"OK then." Cho sat back on the bed. " And I know I shouldn't be here but I couldn't stand by whilst you got tortured and hurt. No way."

Hermione just smiled and said "It's ok. We've all screwed up."

Hermione still looked vulnerable. So Cho sashayed her way to her girlfriend's side, offering her arm as a headrest that Hermione gladly took.

"How are they?" She asked.

"We are all fine. Looks like me and you both had extremely difficult conditions to live in. But all six of us made it through it." Cho informed her.

"I changed my mind...I want to know where you went." Hermione told her.

Cho hummed in reply and said. "Just a little cabin on a small island in Alaska."

Hermione chuckled and said "Those ARE extreme conditions."

"Yeah. We got better as the months past. Not a day went by that I didn't miss you though."

"Me too. Me too. I have changed my mind about something else too." Hermione admitted.

"What's that?"

Hermione held Cho tight. "I don't want you to go. I want you to stay with me. I love my parents dearly but I need you most. Stay at Shell Cottage. Me, Harry and Ron need to go to Gringotts when I'm better then Hogwarts. It's last stop Hogwarts so when I signal you, you must go to Hogwarts as well. But I need you here. I need you somewhere where I can see you and be with you. Please stay."

Cho replied swiftly. "I wasn't planning on going. Even your parents told me not to come back for them. That I am to stay with you even if it means to the end. They prefer to have someone that loves you with them that can actually help you, and loves their daughter as much as they do."

"Good" Hermione answered.

After a long comfortable silence, Hermione broke it by saying "we have almost been together two years now".

Cho looked shocked. "Gosh, you're right. It felt quick at the start but these last few months have felt like years."

"Don't remind me." Hermione agreed. "A lot has changed since we were last together. Hopefully I'm not permanently damaged by this."

Cho looked at Hermione worriedly. Making her girlfriend look at her, Cho said. "Hermione, that witch terrorised you and almost mentally destroyed you. No one will hold it against you if you rested longer and postponed this hunt until you have recovered. Give it a month or two to help you get over this."

"I'm Ok Cho. We are so close, we can do this. I'm fine to continue." Hermione insisted.

"Hermione, you didn't recognise me when you woke up. The sight of me frightened you and it took me a lot to persuade you of who I am. You can't tell me everything is fine." Cho argued.

"I'm sorry I didn't recognise you. The black in your hair reminded me of Bellatrix for a second, and I thought you might've been an imposter under polyjuice potion." Hermione defended herself.

"I said things that no one else knew about you. You still didn't believe me."

"Someone could've tortured you for that information. Being on the run has taught me to be more cautious."

Cho sat up. "Why don't I believe you?"

"I'm telling the truth. I really am sorry."

"I'm getting a drink."

"NO!" Hermione exclaimed, grabbing Cho's arm to stop her.

"See. Now you know I'm really here you can't bear me to leave because you think I won't come back and you'll be left with that evil Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Don't be ridiculous. I just missed you really much, that's all. "

"If you missed me you would've kissed me by now".

"Fine here." Hermione leant forward and kissed her lovingly. Cho enjoyed it a few seconds but had to get her point out so she pulled away.

"You just did that for the sake of the argument."

"What! No."

"Hermione you would've launched yourself at me as soon as you realised I was here. You would've given me a hundred before we even spoke to each other. You have hugged me constantly and that's it."

"So what you saying?! That I have secretly fallen out of love with you and therefore won't kiss you!"

Cho gasped and said "No...I wasn't thinking that at all before...Now though..."

Hermione realised by just mentioning that, it seemed to Cho like Hermione had given it some thought. "Cho, of course I haven't."

"Then why aren't you being straight with me. Now we are having a row. We never have rows. So I know something is up."

Hermione felt a headache coming on. "Cho! Just drop it! I'm perfectly fine! And I'm going to continue this hunt! End of argument!"

Hermione attempted to get up and storm off but fell faint as she got up. Cho expected this and caught her before she fell. Sitting her back down Cho held the glass for her as Hermione drunk the rest of the water. After Hermione had drunk it, Cho kissed her on the crown. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pressure you. I just worry about you. Fleur said you had some mental injuries and that you have been having nightmares. And when you woke up and didn't recognise me it worried me. If you want to continue the hunt I won't stop you. I hate it when we argue. We shouldn't be arguing and it's my fault."

"I'm sorry too. But we have to finish this as quickly as possible. I will rest when it's over."

What Hermione said last scared Cho. 'Rest in what way?'

Hermione ceased all Cho's thoughts by claiming her lips again and this time Cho didn't pull away.

...

'It's not all over', 'it can't end like this' and 'it must be a trick'. That was the reoccurring thought that reverberated in the minds of the fighters of the light as the Death Eaters marched into the grounds in their rank formation. Lead by a victorious Voldemort. Cocky Bellatrix by his side. And a grieving Half-giant carrying the lifeless form of the hero of the light.

Hermione searched for Cho's hand and found it, clasping it tightly in her own. The sadness and grief beneath their skin was as painful as ingesting molten lava. But they had to hold it together, they will not see a Death Eater end their lives with sadness upon their faces. They owed it to Harry to stay strong. Never surrender. Choose death over slavery. Darkness over fear. Love over cowardice. They would not let the sadness appear on their faces. They had a job to finish or die trying.

Voldemort, a vision of every evil leader the world has witnessed embedded into one man, stood victorious as he demanded the remaining spectators of the light to join forces with them. Draco surprisingly hesitated to join him after being called by his father but obeyed when his mother asked. Neville was next to step up. Jeers and taunts were thrown his way as the Dark Lord offered him a place with them. However Neville didn't step up to join them, he stepped up to encourage his peers.

"I want to say something."

Voldemort was tempted to curse this boy where he stood for his defiance but gave him his short spotlight of attention.

"It doesn't matter that Harry is dead."

"Stand down Neville." Seamus implored.

"People die every day. Family, friends. Yeah, we lost Harry tonight. But he's still with us, in here" he said pointing at his heart. "So's Fred and Remus...Tonks. They didn't die in vain." Then he pointed at Voldemort. "But YOU will. Cause you're wrong, Harry's heart did beat for us. For all of us. It's not over."

Neville then whips Gryffindor's sword out of the sorting hat on the ground and brandished it. That's when Harry, to everyone's surprise, shot out of Hagrid's arms and clambered to his feet. He was alive.

He regrouped amongst his followers at the entrance and then the fighting started again.

Hermione and Cho were for now separated by a sea of people. Cho sent three Stupefys into the faces of three Death Eaters trying to swarm her. Hermione used her awareness of a painting on the wall to rip it off and onto a group of unprotected Death Eaters. Hermione remembered Harry's orders to kill the snake so she searched for an unmistakable redhead from the sea of hair. She found him. "Ron!"

"What?!" He said as he petrified the person the was fighting.

"Where is Nagini?"

"How the hell do I know?"

"Well where is bloody Voldemort? We find him, we find the snake!"

"Ask Harry, he's the one fighting him!"

"Fine! Then help me look for it!" She shouted as she stunned a Death Eater sneaking up on her. Then she ran and grabbed Ron's arm, pulling him out of the way of a Cruciatus curse. They left the room to look for the last horcrux.

They searched several hallways that were empty. Nagini would never be in amongst the fighting. They searched stairwells and classrooms. Even broom cupboards. But no sign of Voldemort's pet. They heard a scuffle in the Astronomy tower and knew that was where Harry was fighting Voldemort. They headed for the stairs and that's when they found it.

"Shhh" Hermione whispered. "I have an idea. I will distract it, you sneak up from behind."

"How? I would have to already be up the stairs?" He whispered back.

"Use the other stairs. The one round the back."

"Fine. You do your thing."

He set off and Hermione took a strong breath. "Ok. Here goes."

She looked around and saw some large rocks from the debris of the collapsed walls. "Who needs magic anyways?"

She then slowly and quietly climbed the stairs. Once she was in firing range she threw the rock and it connected with the snakes head. It turned on Hermione and the girl stood facing it. The snake slithered her way, she stood defiant. Then Ron appeared behind it but the snake read the distraction and turned on him. Hermione shot her own spell but the snake was too fast. Soon the snake had them cornered and it went for them both when Neville, out of nowhere, sliced the reptiles head off mid-dive.

Relieved that they were OK Hermione and Ron rejoined the fight but Hermione was worried. When was the last time she saw Cho? It dawned on her that Nagini may have killed Hermione without Cho knowing and Cho could be dead and Hermione wouldn't know it either. She had to find her. The horcruxes were gone. Harry would deal with Voldemort. Her main objective now: find the girl she loved before it is too late.

That was easier said than done as most of the fighting was taking place in the Great hall. So about half a thousand people were now clogged in a small place. She was lucky if she even got past the door. She sent a barrage of stunners at the Death Eaters fighting to get into the hall. They had no time to block. Shacklebolt was fighting still. Hagrid was blasting Death Eaters aside with his big arms as the curses bounced off his big frame. McGonagall was spectacular in her performance. She could rival Dumbledore with her magic. And she was casting Death Eaters aside with the greatest of ease. Molly and Arthur were back to back fighting and holding their own. Luna was fighting with an actual frown on her face. Ginny was Reducto cursing every Death Eater in sight. George was fighting with intensity and actually used the killing curse on the guy that falled his twin. It was remarkable to see the raw intensity of the fight the light gave. It summarised everything about good and evil. Families and friends that fight for each other versus comrades that fight for one person if not themselves. The vision right there ended the debate, the light were far more dangerous.

Neville and Ron had the same idea as Hermione, joining the fray. Hermione took time out of her appreciatively gaze to search another unmistakable hair-coloured person in this even bigger crowd.

' . . . Professor Sprout. Professor Flitwick. Professor Trelawney, seriously? Firenze. Grawp. Aberforth. Damn it, where are you Cho?'

"HERMIONE!" Ron said as he saw Bellatrix eying Hermione up, ready to pounce with probably the Killing curse this time rather than the Cruciatus. "HERMIONE, MOVE!"

But it was too late and the green curse was sent straight towards her. Hermione had time to see green then waited impact.

But none came.

Had she died and not felt anything? No cause she was thinking, and hearing noises. Then what happened?

Opening her eyes again she saw a bewildered Bellatrix who was soon preoccupied with someone else. Bellatrix never took her gaze off Hermione though.

Hermione was too shocked to move. Did she survive the killing curse like Harry? But she had no horcrux in her. Neither did she have sacrificed love as her shield. She should be dead. No protection could stop an unforgiveable. There was no other visible body in the way...

Hermione suddenly zoned in on that word. Visible. "Oh no. Please no. She...she didn't...Cho!"

"MISS GRANGER, UNLESS YOU WISH TO BE DEAD IN THE NEXT FEW SECONDS I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO MOVE OUT OF THAT DOORWAY OR AT LEAST ARM YOURSELF AND DO SOMETHING!" Professor McGonagall shouted at her, still battling Death Eaters whilst she spoke.

Hermione heard none of what she said but she did inadvertently do just that. She turned and ran, tears streaming like rivers down her face. She was frantically searching every cupboard again. Every classroom. Not looking for a snake this time. She was hoping to look for a smiling, beautiful girl who saved Hermione in a really intelligent way. But realistically she was looking for a dead body. The dead body of her one true love who jumped in the way of a Killing curse meant for Hermione. Stuff of fairy tales. But in fairy tales there are happy endings.

It would be more convenient if Hermione knew where Cho vacated to. Where would she go?

Then...Hermione knew. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Apparently though Ron had also ran out to find her. They almost collided when they turned a sharp corner. This didn't stop Hermione. She ran past him and he ran behind her sensing this was important. And boy was it.

Hermione made it to Cho's hideaway. Her heart was probably going to explode with happiness or die with Cho. Hermione pushed the door open.

And there she was. Unmoving. Unbreathing.

Ron came in too and he too saw the body. "Oh Merlin..." he started but not trusting his mouth to say something insensitive. He then left and mumbled "I will be right out here ok...Hermione, im so sorry."

"Please stay." Hermione said, voice breaking. "Please Ron."

"Ok Mione."

Hermione went to her girlfriend's body. She bent down and sat cross-legged by her head. She took her lovers head in her hands and laid it in her lap. Seeing that this indeed was the girl Hermione loved more than anything, she stroked her hair lovingly.

"Two years. Two beautiful, loving, amazing years. Two of the greatest years of my life. Who am I kidding? It was never my life to begin with, it always has and always will be hers. Cho Chang IS my life. Without Cho, who am I?"

Ron stayed silent swallowing a large lump in his throat.

"You don't know do you Ron? Me and Cho. We were engaged. You are seeing the dead body of my fiancee. This is the girl I was going to marry." Hermione choked on her words when she said marry and she just broke down. "Ron, she was going to be my wife. My beautiful, sweet, incredible wife. Now she is gone."

Ron rushed to her and held her consolingly. She buried her face in his shoulder, staining his shirt with tears filled of the fragments of Hermione's heart that had shattered into dust.

"She wasn't supposed to die alone. I promised I would die with her. It was we both survive or we both die. Never this. This...was never...supposed...to happen. And it's all my fault. I cared more for the horcruxes in this past year than i did my own girlfriend. I prioritized them over her. I thought I was doing it for her, but I wasn't was I. I was thinking of Voldemort. Of how we can kill him and destroy his horcruxes. She would put her life on the line for me but I wouldn't even take her advice. This relationship was never about Voldemort. It wasn't about the war. It wasn't even about me. It was about caring for Cho. Caring for someone who cared for others but never got cared for. And when they did they left her in one way or another. She was determined to make sure I never left her. And then one day I tell her I will leave her on the deadliest epedition and I practically make her let me. I did this Ron. All of it. I left her just like everyone else. Now I can't even apologize. I can't beg for her forgiveness. I don't deserve her. It seems Bellatrix is not the monster here. I am."

"Well you're half-right there Muddy." came the horrid cackle of the evil Bellatrix Lestrange. "You are a monster. Ugly like one too. But I too have a monster inside me, and it wants to finish you off for good. Without your stupid lesbian girlfriend's meddling."

Ron was quickly encased in ropes holding him down whilst Hermione got clear of her girlfriend. Even dead, Hermione wanted to protect her.

"So Muddy, lets get you reacquainted with your girl real soon huh?"

"Fine".

"What?" Bellatrix asked, not quite believing what she heard.

"You heard me, fine. Do it. Kill me. It's what i want. You took everything from me. Now let me be with my girl. Come on! Kill me! Do it! What are you waiting for?! DO IT!"

"Avada..."

"Expelliarmus."

Bellatrix lost her wand and turned to see who cast the disarming jinx. It was the one person no one expected to see alive again. Cho Chang was supporting her weight with a shaky elbow and had her wand drawn loosely. "Not...my fiancee...you bitch. Avada Kedavra"

That only Killing curse Cho would ever use, killed Bellatrix where she stood.

Cho collapsed under the exhaustion of her energy. Hermione was staring at Cho like she had fallen asleep in Ron's chest and was dreaming. But she knew she wasn't when Ron rushed to Cho's side draped her arm over his shoulder and hoisted her onto her feet. "Hermione, are you gonna help me with your fiancee?" he told her with a warm grin.

Hermione smiled brighter than ever before.

...

Once they got her to the hospital wing, Hermione never left her side. Cho was more than happy with that. Cho was prescribed some energy restoration potion and ordered to have a good nights sleep. Harry visited them which meant only one thing. Voldemort was dead. But for once Hermione didn't care about that. She cared about Cho.

So there they lay. Two heavily in love girls cuddling up on the hospital bed enjoying the sweet love they deserved. Hermione laid on Cho's chest listening to every magical heartbeat through it. Cho just lay there enjoying the moment.

Hermione sighed happily and said "How on earth do I still have you?"

Cho laughed loudly. "You must have done something bad."

"I already knew that. I'm so sorry my darling. I will never put anything before you again. I could never live without you."

"I'm not going anywhere my angel. It would be hypocritical of me if i did."

Hermione kissed Cho's chin and settled back down on her but the questions continued. "How did you survive the Killing curse? What possessed you to even try and use the locket?"

"The locket has an advantage of me being invisible. Also I lost track of where you were and wanted to find you. I didn't die because...well, you can't kill a soul. But it really messed it up a bit and it had trouble returning to my body. It was damn lucky it came back to me when it did otherwise my sacrifice would be for nothing."

"Thank Merlin for that. I was prepared to join you. You have no idea how happy I am to see you alive." Hermione replied.

"If you were prepared to join me then I too am glad to see me alive. I will never let you die because of me. Even if it's for love."

Hermione wished to argue that but did not have the will to. She did however say "You can't fool me Cho Chang. You may not be able to kill a soul but you didn't know that at the time. If you did you forgot. You jumped in the way to save my life, even though you thought you would lose yours. You are my hero."

Cho chuckled "And yours only."

Hermione lifted her head up. "Hell yes". Then she kissed Cho passionately and possessively. "Mine...and only...mine" she said between each kiss.

They kissed until their kisses swelled their lips and they tampered down into small, light kisses. Then Hermione stopped them altogether.

"Baby let's marry as soon as possible. Then we can leave England and start a life somewhere else. Like we wished for. We could stay at your cabin in Alaska. Hell, we could buy it. Our friends are wizards and witches, they can get there easily enough to visit. Or we could stay here. Its your decision. I have made too many of them for us and not too many have been successful. As long as I'm with you I'm happy." Hermione offered.

"Maybe not Alaska baby. The novelty has worn off on my dream to go there. But we can use it for our honeymoon. And live somewhere more...down under."

"You don't have to choose one of my countries to live in." Hermione said.

"I'm not. I'm choosing OUR country. Australia is where we will live. " Cho declared.

"Ok baby. I'm up for that. Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra?" Hermione asked.

"Whichever way the boomerang flies" Cho asked, showing Hermione her knowledge of Muggle Australia. Although Hermione had to correct her through chuckles.

"Cho...if we went the way the boomerang flies...haha...we would end back here. Haha, boomerangs come back to you when you throw them."

Cho looked surprised and said "a boomerang is a Muggle object, right?"

Hermione laughed out loud and knew then her life would be fine from now on. Because she had Cho and she cared for her.

An; and there it is the final storyline chapter. Now await the epilogue, and find out the significance of the Hydrangea flower in this story. And meet something else. Or someONE else.

There is a lot to cover in this chapter that I want to clear up.

Yes at the start Hermione had sex with Cho. Just letting you know that was not their first time. It was just the first time in this story when there was a clear indication of sexual activity. They are teenagers after all that had been going out a year and a half. It would be surprising if they waited all that time. Besides if it was their first time I'm pretty sure Hermione would not have been as bold as what you read here.

If you still don't understand how the locket works I will describe it to you now. Cho starts to share Hermione's eyesight so that she sees everything Hermione sees. Thats what those bright orbs were for. When Cho continuously stares at the locket it extracts her soul and takes her to where Hermione is via a small portkey charm. The soul because solid but turns invisible under disillusionment and silent under a silencing spell. It can only operate in a two metre radius from Hermione. When Cho got hit with the Killing curse it ended all the spells and enchantments on her soul and it had to find it's body by itself so it was lucky Cho's body was in the same place the soul was. Two reviewers were partly correct but not quite. Cho couldn't use her locket to perfection like she wanted to when Hermione was on the hunt. It is a guessing game of when Hermione would be in danger and, like Cho said, there is a limit on how long a soul can be away from the body.

The dates in the journals are probably not in sync with the events that happened in canon. And the locations. I can only apologize for this as i am pretty much guessing at what month and time of year it is. The HP films are like everything happens in a month, then its christmas, then everything happens after the winter period and concluded by the end of the year. That isn't much to go on, on a timeline sense.

I didn't bash Dumbledore in this but I did criticize him. I mean he has an aura of mystery. He commonly uses wise words, incentive thoughts and double-meanings. But I just think his blind guidance for Harry is a bit unnecessary. He has to guide Harry to find things out for himself, not simply telling the boy. But what I do like about Dumbledore is that he is human like everyone else. I used to think Dumbledore thought highly of himself, like Voldemort. But really he thinks he is no more important than a house-elf. His mistakes remind everyone he is human.

I really do hope this chapter makes up for my slight Ron bashing before. I don't hate Ron's character. He is an important character. More important than it may look. Harry Potter needs Ron to signify family ties, to signify realism, to signify friendship. If it was just Hermione and Harry it wouldn't feel real for us. Even in a war you need a spark of humanity instead of just darkness and death. Ron is also one of my favourite characters. I just don't like Ron and Hermione. I can understand it. I can see why J.K. made it. I can see why people like it. I just can't see that relationship ever working out. It just seems right that Hermione would date Harry. And I'm not completely convinced that we didn't see some kind of attraction between them two in the films. I think i have gone off topic now...but if you want to know what scenes i likely think we saw an attraction between Harry and Hermione just PM me. Just be warned, there are quite a few.

Why Alaska? Why not? It comes from my liking of Switzerland but i felt Switzerland wasn't far enough to used as a hiding place so i chose Alaska. The cold conditions will make it almost impossible for them to be tracked even if they were unlucky enough to encounter a Death Eater or Snatcher that went that far to find them.

I think you can see why Hermione's favourite country to live in is Australia. Hermione's parents were sent to Australia in canon. There was no need for them to go there in this story. But i made up for it by letting Cho and Hermione live in Australia.

Finally there will be no Authors note in the epilogue. So this is my goodbye message.

Thank you all so much for reading this and sticking with it. It was a gamble to choose Cho and Hermione as the pairing but I fell in love with the idea. I knew from the first chapter onwards that this would get a minimum amount of reads, and if i'm honest I think this plucky story did well. But obviously it couldn't do it without you. So thanks to all my current and future reviewers, favourites and followers. And this is not the last of me. You will see me around with some new and bright ideas that could possibly even be longer than this story. And they won't all be femslash. Even some crossover stories may come into play. So i will see you guys soon.

Signed

Adstyle17


	22. Chapter 22

Epilogue: Hermione, Cho and Hydra

The rain pelted the roof of their taxi. They had been here two days and it hadn't stopped raining. The traffic was horrendous, making London look bearable to drive in. The scene they were in made everything feel miserable. The radio didn't have music enjoyable to listen to. The driver was hard to speak to as he spoke the native tongue, and only the native tongue. The only thing worth doing is watching the brightly lit advertisements outside but seeing the same advertisement for the last half hour and you can see why it had lost its appeal. Hermione finally huffed in boredom.

"Why did you make us get a taxi?"

"I suppose...to see the sights. This is a holiday after all." Cho answered.

"Oh yes. Sight-seeing. I am absolutely amazed at what I'm seeing outside right now. On the left hand side you will see a Coca Cola advert that we could have seen advertised back home. On the right only the fifth McDonalds that we have seen on this very road. And up front we have probably several miles of cars and vehicles at a standstill. New York can eat it's heart out" Hermione returned sarcastically.

"Don't get funny. I didn't know it would be this busy on the road." Cho replied.

"Cho, we are in Beijing. What were you expecting?"

"I don't know. As you may recall I didn't spend very long in my birth country as a child. This is new to me too." Cho hissed.

Hermione knew she was being a bit harsh, so in apology she lightly touched Cho's hand with hers.

"We could've just..." Hermione hesitated due to the driver being a Muggle, he didn't seem to understand English but looks can be deceiving. Cho spoke to the man in small Chinese, asking him if he spoke English. He replied with something and Cho nodded her thanks. "You were saying?"

Encouraged that the man couldn't understand them, Hermione tried again. "We could've just Flooed to that Wizarding bar we saw across the street from the agency. Then just crossed the road."

"Hermione, that was a gay bar."

"And? One WE are gay. And two it's not like we would be staying there."

"A gay bar for men." Cho reminded.

"Yeah well, at least we wouldn't get touched up if the guys in there like other guys. It's besides the point anyway, my point is we wouldn't be late like we are now."

"Hermione..."

"What?"

Cho leaned across the seat and kissed her lightly. "Shut up".

The driver choked a little bit. He just witnessed that kiss and the surprise made him choke. Cho smirked at the driver's reaction and Hermione's annoyed face.

"What? Can't a wife kiss her wife?" Cho pretended to be offended.

"Yes. She can do it to her heart's content. But not in the backseat of a taxi with a guy we don't even know watching." Hermione replied.

"Why? Scared we will get him excited?" Cho teased.

"Cho!"

"I'm only lightening the mood. Look we have moved past the Coca Cola advertisement and that fifth McDonald's." Cho defended.

"Yeah. Now we can see a Chinese edited movie poster that came out a month ago back home."

Cho rolled her eyes.

_Two long boring hours..._

_"_Names please?"

"Cho and Hermione Granger-Chang" Cho answered.

"Ok. Cho? You are twenty three years old, adopted, attended a boarding school in the UK. You were born in Shanghai, China, currently residing in Melbourne, Australia. Is that correct?" The woman behind the desk asked.

"Yes. It is."

"And Her...how do you pronounce that name?"

"Hermione." The girl replied.

"And Hermione? You are twenty two years old, daughter of Daniel and Emma Granger, you also attended the same boarding school in the UK as Cho. You were born in London, England currently residing in Melbourne, Australia. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"It is obvious but for the record you will need to answer it anyway. You are both a married homosexual couple?" The woman asked.

"Yes. Well I'm homosexual. Cho is bi-sexual." Hermione answered. "But yes we are in a homosexual marriage."

"Ok. Unfortunately that will limit you on your choices for your adopted child. You cannot adopt a child of religious belief."

"Ok" Cho answered. Really that was a good thing because the kid they chose wouldn't freak out as badly over their foster mothers kissing, or the use of magic in the house.

"I know you speak English but I know Cho is from China so I assume you either want an English speaking child or a Chinese child. We don't have many English speaking children here but of course we have many Chinese children."

"Could we teach a child English?" Hermione asked.

"Of course. You are their guardians so teaching them English is your decision."

"Then we will we do that." Hermione said, looking to her wife who nodded in agreement.

"I'm afraid we do need a definite decision on what nationality your adopted child will be." The woman urged.

Cho nodded and said "We would like to adopt a Chinese child please."

"Ok" The woman typed that up on her computer and opened a zip folder. She took out a double sided contract and handed it to them. "These are the terms and conditions of adoption. After today you are by virtue of the law the official guardian of a child of your choosing. If a child here doesn't have a birth certificate, which is more common than it sounds, you would have to file an adoptive certificate. Only one child of your choosing unless a child is a twin. Just read through the terms and conditions and sign when you are completely satisfied."

Cho held the document between them and they both read through it. Once finished they nodded at each other and signed their names. They handed it back to the woman who then handed them a chart.

"These are the list of Chinese children we have here. It can help you decide but don't make your decision now. You have to hand pick the child you want in person."

"We wanted to do that anyway." Cho replied.

"Follow me and I will show you to the dorms."

It was a long walk. The agency was next door to the actual housing where they keep the kids. But the Chinese population of children was so large that they needed three blocks just for Chinese children. Each block had four rooms with six children living and sleeping in. As the ratio of boys and girls were so unbalanced no gender arrangement was in place so boys and girls shared bedrooms, toilets and other facilities together. The carers on hand gathered all the children in the block together whilst Cho, Hermione and the agent spoke to the kids in a very short mini-interview in private.

Cho and Hermione came across girls and boys aging from three to eleven years old. They saw spoilt brats, screamers, geeks and annoying children. They saw chatterboxes, Shy kids and lively kids. But somehow for Hermione and Cho they couldn't connect with any of them. They had a sneaking suspicion it was because all the kids they met so far were not magical. There would be no obvious sign of course if they were but Hermione and Cho could sense that the children held no magical core. Of course they weren't necessarily looking for a small witch or wizard otherwise they wouldn't have gone through a Muggle adoption agency. Hermione thought connecting with a Muggle child and in a few years adopting a magical child would be a life of sharing between Muggle and magical cultures. The head for the Department of Muggle Relations for the Australian Ministry, Hermione Granger-Chang, would of course think of an idea that made her a pioneer in building bridges with the Muggle world and rectifying the mistakes made by the British Ministry that, even after the second Wizarding war, was struggling to fully accept Muggles as equal beings. Of course it had the benefits of them being a multicultural family. It could also mean in as little as ten to fifteen years, that magical folk could reveal themselves to the Muggle world without being alienated and without hostility towards non-magical human beings.

But connecting with these kids was hard. Not just because of the absence of magic, but because they weren't sparking any will to love any child there. There was no protective urges. No devotion to care for them. This wasn't the children's fault but it still put the married couple in low spirits.

"Excuse me" Hermione asked looking at the chart with confusion. "Why are some of the name spaces filled up with just numbers?"

The agent replied. "The numbers are the children's registration. If a child is unnamed when they come to us we give them a registration number. We feel it is right in those cases for the guardians to choose a name for them. But if a child is named already you cannot change it."

"Ok thanks."

"Hermione?"

"Yes Darling." Hermione turned to Cho who was gazing thoughtfully at a Chinese girl with cropped black hair sitting alone and away from the crowd. She got up holding her hands over her ears as if the noise in the room was scaring her. She turned and ran into a bedroom.

Cho immediately moved to follow her. Hermione kept up with her, calling the agent to follow. Cho got to the bedroom door finding it closed and locked. "Damn it"

Hermione caught up with her. "Cho?"

"Distract the agent." Cho whispered.

"What?"

Cho repeated her request.

"Cho, you can't do magic here, it's irresponsible and what if someone sees. We could get arrested for using magic in the presence of Muggles." Hermione told her.

"Can I help you?" the agent asked.

Cho gave Hermione a pleading look and Hermione whispered. "You owe me."

She then turned and excitedly said "Excuse me but I am a daughter of dentists and would like to know if any of the kids here have regular dental check-ups?" she led the agent away from seeing the door and Cho made quick and subtle flicks with her wand. The door clicked unlocked and she stepped inside.

The girl from before didn't even hear the door unlock or hear Cho enter. She clung to the bedpost as if letting go would kill her.

Cho coughed politely and the girl jumped.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I saw you were upset out there. My name is Cho. What's yours?"

The girl looked at Cho with no clear emotion in her eyes.

"You shouldn't have told me your first name? Neither should you have assumed that I can speak English?"

Cho was a little taken back at the maturity of this girl that looked no older than eight years old. "I won't tell if you won't tell." Cho then sat cross-legged in front of the girl.

"You don't have nothing to tell on me about." the girl replied.

"On the contrary you very smart girl, I know how smart you are. And I happen to know that you probably keep the secret that you speak English to yourself. I bet even the staff don't know. If they did you would be in another block."

The girl for the first time had emotion on her face. Surprise.

"How did you know?"

"You are not the only perceptive person here. So are we in agreement. I tell you my first name and you tell no one and I speak to you in English and I tell no one."

The girl smiled. "Agreed."

"Good. Now what is your name?"

"I don't have one. But the others call me Scaredy Mary."

"That is horrible. No offense. That isn't a real name. Do the staff know they call you that?"

"Yes. But they are nice and tell the others off. The staff call me sweetie or honey. But I don't have an actual name."

"What do I call my new friend then?"

The girl giggled, showing immaculate white teeth. Hermione would be impressed. "Call me what you like."

"Well Whatyoulike, why did you come hiding in here for?" Cho asked.

The girl giggled again at Cho's humour. Then the girl dropped her happy face. "It was too noisy."

"I admit it was a bit lively in there but it wasn't as loud as you were making it out to be." Cho answered. "I can see you have a problem sweetie. I can help."

The girl looked uncertain but told her anyway. "It wasn't the room. It was the voices."

"Voices? What voices?"

"There were so many voices, some were shouting, some were whispering. I didn't even know who they belonged to. I was just thinking about which person you and that brown haired woman chose. I saw you were both nice so I thought about who I think you would like. Then the voices started. I couldn't stop them. Then I came in here and they stopped." The girl explained.

Cho recognised this girl and what she was describing. Some people with huge brain power find it easier to do Legilimency.

A normal person could not do Legilimency without saying the incantation, some like Voldemort and Dumbledore could do it on the spot, but very, very few people could do Legilimency on accident and this early on in life. This Muggle girl wasn't a Muggle at all. She was a witch. And a very powerful Legilimens too.

"Hey. You wanna know my secret." Cho asked.

The girl nodded.

"Do you know what this is?" Cho asked holding out her wand on her palm.

The girl looked at it with concentration. "It is a very sturdy stick."

"Not quite. What this actually is, is something you will have in the future. Your very own one of these. Have you ever read Cinderella?"

The girl nodded.

"What did the fairy godmother have that turned the pumpkin into a carriage?"

"A magical wand."

"Exactly"

"You have a toy magical wand?" The girl asked.

"No not a toy. Not a fake wand. This is a real wand."

The girl got excited. It seems the child still had a childhood. "Can I have a go?"

"Not here I'm afraid. I will get into trouble."

"Please? At least show me something."

Cho looked unsure. Hermione would kill her if she found out. But the girl looked so adorable.

"One. Quick. Spell." Cho told her.

The girl clapped excitedly. 'Hermione is going to adore this girl, not as much as I do though' Cho thought.

Cho held her wand outstretched. "Wingardium Leviosa"

A sock from the floor floated into the air. Floating until it went over the girl's head as she stared up at it in amazement. Then Cho ended the spell and the sock dropped onto the unsuspecting girls face. She just laughed at it and tossed the sock away. "That was amazing."

"CHO GRANGER-CHANG" Came the strict voice at the doorway belonging to her wife. "You did not just show that girl magic, did you? Rhetorical question, don't answer. Cho are you trying to get us arrested or get banned from adopting ANY children."

"Meet my beloved wife Hermione." Cho said to the girl. The girl laughed.

"Don't you 'beloved wife' me, this girl would have to be obliviated now. You're lucky I sent the agent away to give us some privacy or she would have to be obliviated too." Hermione informed her.

"On the contrary Hermione this girl doesn't need to be obliviated. We have found ourselves a witch."

Hermione and the girl both looked surprised. "Are you sure?" Hermione said looking more closely at the Chinese girl.

Cho nodded and whispered. "Legilimens"

"Wow. This young. That's amazing." Hermione whispered back then spoke louder. "But that still doesn't excuse your irresponsible behaviour."

"It's my fault Miss. I asked her to do it" the girl asked.

Hermione was about to speak when she turned on that name. "Please don't call me Miss. I am Hermione. Miss is a teacher's name."

"Actually you wouldn't be a Miss anyway, you would be a Mrs. And even a teacher has an actual name so technically there is no such thing as a teacher's name." The girl told her.

Hermione looked annoyed at being corrected whilst Cho was holding back laughter. Hermione tried to stay annoyed but the more she saw that she was corrected by a little girl the more she couldn't help but smirk herself.

"What is your name you cheeky little thing?"

"I don't have..." "Hydra"

The girl looked at Cho with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"I said your name is Hydra."

"Why Hydra?" The girl asked.

Hermione smiled warmly joining the two girls as they all sat on the floor. "The Chinese flower of love and care."

"The Hydrangea" Cho finished.

The girl smiled at her new name. "I like it." Then she realised something.

"You can't name me unless you want to adopt me?"

"Then I guess we want to adopt you, ain't that right My Angel?" Cho declared.

"Yes Darling." Hermione said then she turned to the girl still recovering from the surprise. "If she will have us"

"I...I...never thought...I never thought that anyone would want me. Everyone says I'm mad and crazy. They say I freak them out. They hate me. Why would you want a freak like me?"

"Hey! Don't you ever say that again .The people out there don't understand you because they will never be like you. Your unique. Not to mention extremely intelligent." Hermione insisted.

"Like my wife here" Cho said as Hermione blushed.

"You're the Magical Artefact inventor here" Hermione reminded. Cho too looked sheepish at her compliment.

"Anyway, Hermione is right. The voices in your head aren't a punishment or a hindrance. They are like a super power. They are a very helpful and very cool skill. You are one of a kind. One of a rare kind."

The girl was still stubbornly putting herself down. "But i'm not special. I'm just average."

"The minute I saw you I knew you were special, so that is a load of rubbish. I knew all that stuff about you speaking English and keeping it a secret; that's because I too kept my personal information close to me when I was waiting to be adopted. You make next to no friends in these places and I too was called a freak and crazy when I could do really crazy things. And I wasn't as lucky as you. I was picked by an abusive family that made me their slave. You get a caring family that understands you and already care for you dearly. You are special to us. That is all that matters." Cho told her.

The girl still looked uncertain.

"By all rights I should not be special either." Now Hermione had her turn. "I even defied biology to be something special. It's because of that biology that I got teased and hurt over and over again by people that WERE biologically special. You know what I did? I made myself better than them. I rised above the bullying by reminding myself that I did something none of those bullies could do. You remind me of myself eleven years ago and that is how I know that you will be fine."

The girl looked happy again. She had made her decision. "I would love to live with you."

"Brilliant" Cho answered. "Baby, you should go get the agent now."

"OK. See you in a second. And NO MAGIC." Hermione warned Cho who pouted.

Hermione was about to step out the door when Hydra said. "See you in a second Mum".

She said this without hesitation. As if it was natural to call her that. Hermione stopped dead in the doorway. Cho smiled widely. 'Oh my gosh, she just made Hermione feel the happiest feeling ever'.

Hermione turned to her new daughter with tears sparkling in her eyes. She then rushed to the small girl and gave her a world famous Hermy hug. Hydra looked uncomfortable at first but soon melted into it even hugging her newly proclaimed mother back.

"It looks like that Muggle child can wait. I have myself a beautiful, little witch to look after." Hermione said as she let her daughter go and walked out.

"Wait for it" Cho said knowingly.

"I'M A MUM" came the yell of Hermione as she walked off.

Hydra looked happy too. "Aren't witches supposed to be evil?"

"Common misconception. Sometimes I can see how they get to that misconception. But then I look at my wife and I think 'they don't know what they are on about'" Cho said warmly.

Hydra then turned round to gather all her clothes to start packing but Cho beat her to it and swished her wand collecting the clothes and laying them in a pile on the bed.

"Oi, mum said no magic." Hydra pretended to chastise.

"Mum's not here."

They both giggled and continued their packing.

"Now that you have called Hermione mum, what do I get?" Cho asked.

"True. I can't call you both mum. What about..."

"If you even think about calling me Dad, I will strangle you before we even get out of here" Cho threatened jokingly.

"Not my daughter you won't." Hermione said coming back in with the agent and a carer. She then went to her wife and kissed her as the carer went to speak to Hydra and help her pack.

"What was that about kissing in front of strangers?" Cho asked.

"What? Worried they will get excited?" Hermione replied giving her another kiss. Cho held her in her arm pulling her into her side so Hermione could wrap her arm round Cho's waist. They watched the next chapter in their family pack and say goodbye to the other kids. Not a single wet eye amongst them. The married couple were glad they were taking Hydra away from all this.

"Thank you" Hermione said.

"For what?"

"Finding such an amazing little girl"

"Yep. She's perfect. You're perfect. Life is perfect."

Then Hydra turned back to them and said "I'm ready to go now Mum and Dad".

Cho scrunched up her face into a growl as Hermione laughed. Hydra took the hands of both her new Mothers and stood between them. Cho and Hermione looked at each other, smiled and walked out with their new family member.

Hermione, Cho and Hydra Granger-Chang.

The End.


End file.
